Friday Night Dinner
by panemsbest
Summary: "Do remember what he looked like?" "We were 6 so I didn't really care. The last picture I saw of him was when we were 11 and Uncle Finnick sent over a bunch of polaroid's. He was… cute? I guess," I shrug. "Scratch cute! Puberty hit that boy hard. In the face!" When Orion Mellark's best friend from 10 years ago moves back to District 12, a lot of things begin to change. AU Fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is a new fic that I've written on a whim about the kids of our characters. It's AU so Finnick and Prim are still alive, theres is no Hunger Games but they still live in Districts. Some characters might be a little OOC and there'll be a couple of original characters too. Also, Finnick and Annie's son in this is born at a similar age to Katniss and Peeta daughter (making them both 16) just for the purpose of this story.**

**Just so you know, I will finish High School Games soon but I've just been a little distracted and unable to write recently (again, apologies for ALL of the typos in that story). I will try to update as soon as possible but for now, here's a new story. That's all:) - panemsbest**

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"HE'S BACK!" my best friend, Madeline Hawthorne, screams as she comes through my bedroom door. I roll over from where I'm lying on my bed to look at her. She has a large smile plastered on her tanned face. Madeline is the daughter of my parents' best friends, Gale and Madge Hawthorne. Gale and Madge went to high school with my parents and only live down the road. My parents and their friends are still all very close, except one couple that moved away to District 4 when I was a child. Maddie and I weren't always friends. We'd get along when our parents had dinner but she had her girly friends and I was happy with my one friend. It was when we were both 13 that we truly became friends.

She has the features of her father (dark hair, tanned skin, grey eyes) but her mother's beauty. I've always been jealous of Maddie's looks. Where she's got a full chest, mine's flat. Where she's developed curves, I'm skinny and shapeless. Where her hair has volume and a silky look, mine is limp and lifeless and just sits on my shoulder in its usual braid under my hat. Where her face radiates beauty, mine is dull. I wouldn't say I'm ugly but I'm definitely not beautiful like Maddie.

"Orion Mellark! Are you even listening?!" Maddie shouts.

Orion Mellark. That's me. You'd think I was named after Orion's belt because my mother used to stargaze as a child. That's only half of it. The other half of it is my nickname. Dad wanted to name me after bread, like he was, (being a baker and all) but Mum refused. They ended up compromising coming up with Orion, so Dad would be able to call me Rye.

Unlike my brother, who only takes after my father, I take after both my parents in looks. I have my mother's brunette hair but my father's blue eyes and my mother's lips but my father's nose; the works.

"Who's back?" I ask, not really taking much interest.

"You mean, you really don't know?" I shrug and raise an eyebrow. "Finn Odair is back."

Finnick Odair Jr., or Finn, was my best friend as a child. He is the son of Finnick and Annie Odair. Finnick was my father's best man at their wedding along with Gale and my Uncles as the groomsmen. We did everything together. Where all the girls were off playing with barbies, Finn and I would go on adventures in the woods, coming home covered in dirt and who know what else, from our travels. It broke my heart when they left for District 4, when we were just 6.

My mouth drops open. "WHAT?!" She smiles and jumps up and down, squealing. She the flops on my bed and watches me. My mouth opens and closes and I try to get out words. All I manage is, "When?"

"I saw him in town this morning," she smiles. "Do remember what he looked like?"

"We were 6 so I didn't really care. The last picture I saw of him was when we were 11 and Uncle Finnick sent over a bunch of polaroid's. He was… cute? I guess," I shrug. Maddie grins.

"Scratch cute! Puberty hit that boy hard. In the face," she adds. I roll my eyes. "It hit him like a fucking freight train, Rye! You're so lucky."

"Why am I lucky?" I ask, confused at what she's getting at.

"You guys go way back. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the year you two are dating." I snort, "You're kidding right?" She shakes her head and I laugh harder. "I have reason to disagree." This time, she rolls her eyes.

"What reason? You're beautiful and funny and-"

"Let's not forget sarcastic, cynical, flat chested and dresses like a boy," I interrupt her. She throws a pillow at me but I deflect it.

There a knock at my door and when I yell to come it, my mother pops her head around the door. She's holding the laundry basket under her arms, which are strong from years of hunting. Her chocolate hair is in its braid like mine and she's wearing her favourite necklace. It's a mockingjay with an arrow in its mouth. My father gave it to her when they were just teenagers, but she still wears it.

"Hello, Madeline," she says.

"Afternoon, Mrs Mellark," Maddie replies.

"Call me Katniss, Mrs Mellark make me sound old," she winks at me because that's what my father always says. "How're your parents?"

"They're fine; they said to apologise for disappearing for a while, they've been so exhausted since mum had the baby," Maddie replies. Mum smiles and nods knowingly before turning to me.

"Orion, Honey, the Odair's are coming for dinner so get dressed and put on a dress or something nice." I look down at my pyjamas and smile, saying, "Sure, Mum." She gives me a small smile and backs out of the room, shutting the door again.

I turn back to look at Maddie, who has a massive grin on her face. Then it hits me and my face falls.

_He's coming to dinner. My childhood best friend who I haven't seen in 10 years is coming to dinner._

"Shit," I whisper.

"Rye, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!" I shout.

"Language, Rye!" My Dad shouts, passing outside my door.

"Sorry!" I shout back, turning to look at Maddie again before mouthing 'shit' one last time. She begins to laugh and I run to my wardrobe, throwing out my endless amounts of jeans, t-shirts, camisoles and lumberjack shirts, trying to find something to wear. "What am I going to do?!" I panic.

I jump when I realise Maddie is standing next to me, looking at my clothes with a calm expression. She reaches over and pulls out my grey Aliveta t-shirt skater dress.

"You have such nice skater dresses, Rye. I don't understand why you don't wear them anymore," Maddie complains.

"Because I don't Ice Skate anymore, I skate_board._ It's just not my style," I grumble.

"Why did you buy it in the first place?"

"Because it _used _to be my style."

"Do you realise how much attention you'd get at school from boys if you wore something like this?" she asks, holding the dress up to my body.

"Yes. Did it ever occur to you that I like being invisible? That I don't like the attention?" I counter. "I don't want to wear a dress, Mad."

She frowns and puts the dress on my bed. She walks to the other side of my bed and picks up my red converse and black beanie, placing them on the bed next to the dress.

"How's that? Still a dress but a bit more you." I sigh and give her a smile. I know it's difficult for her sometimes. She's into fashion and make up and I'm not. She wears summer dresses and I wear jeans, a cami and a plaid shirt. It didn't used to be like this. I did used to wear dresses and put on makeup but after a while I realised I was just fooling myself. That it wasn't who I really was. So I put away my skirts and grabbed my board and that's the way I like it

"Thank you, Mad," I give her a quick squeeze before slipping off my slippers. I pull my top over my head and slip the dress over my head. Once I'm fully changed, Maddie brushes my hair and puts my beanie on. My hair is perfectly waved from the braid and, dare I say it, actually looks nice.

"There. You look beautiful." Maddie smiles, stepping back to look me up and down. I feel uncomfortable under her eagle eyes, checking for any 'fashion faults', as she would say. "Alright," she claps her hands together, making me jump. "I'm going to head on home. Good luck!" She winks at me and skips out the door.

I end up just staring at myself in the mirror for a while. I look so different and yet, I look the same. I smooth down my dress and leave my room. Dad is cooking dinner, wearing his 'kiss the baker' apron that Mum got him last Christmas while Mum is setting the table.

"You look beautiful, Rye," says Dad, glancing up. I smile a little as Mum looks over and smiles too.

"Just take off the hat," she chuckles. I roll my eyes and sit at the kitchen counter, watching as Dad chops and sautés. "Everything smells delicious, Peeta," Mum says wrapping her arms around Dad from behind. He spins around and plants a big kiss on her lips. I pull my hat down over my eyes and groan in disgust.

"This is a kitchen. C'mon guys, enough with the PDA." They both laugh and I lift up my hat from one eye, to make sure they're not making out. Thankfully, Dad's gone back to cooking and Mum's pouring herself a glass of wine. The doorbell rings and big smiles spread across my parents' faces. They should be excited; they haven't seen Finnick and Annie in so long. But me? I'm keeping all my excitement of seeing Finn inside. Keeping a cool, level head. Dad runs out to open the door. A loud booming laugh is heard and my heart begins to pound as a smile plays on my lips. Finn's here. I wonder what he looks like. Maddie said he'd changed but I'm still anticipating seeing that cute 5 year old that I used to spend every waking moment with.

_So much for keeping a level head, Rye._

I follow Mum out into the hallway as she runs to hug Annie. That's when I see him. His perfect golden hair is messy on his head, his piercing green eyes stand out against the dim light of the hall and his shirt stains against his toned muscles. My palms begin to sweat as I realise Maddie was definitely not exaggerating. Two strong arms wrap around my waist and I laugh as thrown over someone's shoulder and I'm spun around.

"Uncle Finnick!" I yell. His laughs booms out again and he puts me down, pulling me into a bone crushing hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Kiddo!" he exclaims, picking me up again and spinning me once more. When he puts me down, I realise how far along the all he must have moved me. I stand on the stairs to try and get some height against him. "How've you been?" he asks, with a goofy smile. I laugh again.

"I've been keeping," I respond.

"You've grown up so much!" he exclaims again.

"Well, the last time you saw me was when I was 6 so of course I have."

"That's our Rye, always seeing the logic in things," he winks.

Dad eventually pulls Finnick into the kitchen for a drink, leaving me alone. It only takes a second for me to notice Finn approaching me with a small but charming smile. Mine immediately matches his as he stands in front of me.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi," I copy.

He holds out a hand in front of him. "I'm Finnick Jr. But you can call me Finn. What's your name?"

My smile falters and the blood rushes from my cheeks as my skin automatically pales. I feel my stomach drop and have the sudden urge to be sick.

"O-Orion," I murmur. He takes my hand and shakes it.

"It's nice to meet you Orion." His charming smile grows and he winks at me before following everyone else into the kitchen.

_He doesn't remember me._

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**So let me know what you think of that in the reviews:) Idea's for future chapters, events and reactions are appreciated ok coolbeans I LOVE YOU ALL **


	2. Chapter 2

**Also another difference in this is that Orion is the younger sibling as opposed to her brother. Ok... cool, enjoy!**

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I stand there, frozen in place. My heart is pounding in my chest and I can barely hear anything. He doesn't remember me. My old best friend has forgotten who I am.

"Rye?" Mum interrupts my thoughts. "You coming?" She holds open the door to the dining room and I force a smile. I follow her into the dining room and she sits at the end of the table, leaving the only free seat for me. The seat next to Finn. He flashes me a charming smile. My stomach flutters for a second and then drops at the thought that he doesn't know who I am. Like a young bird trying to fly but falling from the nest.

I quickly sit down, avoiding his eyes. Finnick turns to me.

"What happened to you, Rye?" he asks. "I thought you hated dresses and all things girly."

I give a shy smile. "You can blame this on Maddie Hawthorne," I say, gesturing to the dress.

"She definitely Madge's daughter," Annie giggles.

"Usually, she's in jeans and an extra-large lumberjack shirt," says Mum.

"Let's not forget the ever present Beanie," Dad adds.

"No outfit of mine would ever be complete without my skateboard, you both know that," I laugh, surprised at my newfound confidence.

A timer dings and Dad jumps out of his seat and runs into the kitchen. He returns, holding a pot in his oven mits. Large grins spread across Finnick and Annie's faces.

"Is that what I think it is?" Annie asks.

"You know it," Mum smiles.

Dad runs out into the kitchen and returns again holding a plate of cheese buns. He places the plate next to the pot and Finnick high fives him.

"I shot them this morning," Mum says proudly.

"I'm sorry, shot what?" Finn injects.

"The squirrels in the stew," Finnick answers, his mouthful of cheese bun.

"You shoot squirrels with a gun?" Finn asks Mum, completely dumbfounded.

"Bow and arrow, actually!" Finnick interrupts. I laugh as he begins to choke on the cheese bun and Annie mutters under her breath, "serves you right."

"I expect they were shot in the eye?" says Annie to Mum.

"Every time," Mum winks. We begin to ladle out the stew into everyone's bowls. Finnick bounces up and down in his chair from excitement of having the meal they used to eat as teens. When Dad finally hands him his bowl, his digs straight in. Annie rolls her eyes.

"So, Rye," Annie says. I look up from my bowl, a mouthful of stew dancing on my taste buds. "Do you take after your Mum or your Dad?"

I quickly swallow, and choke out an answer. "Both, actually. I shoot and bake."

"She's also an artist and sings like her mother," Dad adds. "She's just being modest. She writes her own songs and everything." My cheeks flush and Finn turns to me.

"Really? That's amazing. Do you play an instrument?" he asks.

"Guitar," I say quietly. He nods before turning back to his bowl of stew, looking slightly embarrassed by my short answer.

"And who does Damon take after?" Finnick chimes.

"Well… he's at University doing his Law Degree…" Mum says.

"He always hated working in the Bakery, is as tone deaf as his father, can't draw to save his life and if we handed him a bow, instead of shooting a squirrel, he'd end up shooting himself in the foot," Dad muses.

"I'm not really sure where we went wrong with him," Mum chuckles.

Our parents begin to talk but Finn and I stay quiet. I'm struggling to come up with something to say. It's not like I can just turn to him and say '_hey, remember when we used to be best friends? Those were good times._' I'd only look like an idiot. Our elbows bump and our silence become extremely awkward. I clear my throat and look at him. He turns to me, green eyes shining like emeralds. I almost forget what I'm going to say but I quickly spit out, "do you skate?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Skate?" I sigh, thinking that my last resort topic has now died.

"Y'know, skate? Skateboard?" He frowns and shakes his head slightly. All I can say is, "oh."

"I surf though," he says quickly, trying to save the conversation. "We lived right on the beach and I used to surf every morning. Have you ever surfed?"

I shake my head. "I've never been to District 4. I've never actually left 12 before."

He frowns. "Really?" I shrug. "Well, maybe you can… teach me to skate. Seeing as there's nowhere for me to surf here." His initial statement comes across more like a nervous question. I smile slightly and nod.

"Rye, Finn, do you two remember when you used to run riot in the Bakery, getting covered in flour?" Dad suddenly asks.

"Uh- what?" Finn asks back. My heart plummets and I stare at my bowl of stew.

"Or when we used to find them asleep in the tree house at three in the morning!" Finnick laughs.

"Stop," I whisper, shutting my eyes.

"You were attached at the hip," say Mum.

"Sometimes literally," Annie laughs. "They'd tie themselves together in one apron!"

I chance a look up. Finn is looking at me with a confused look on his face. He leans over to me.

"What are they on about?" he whispers. "I have no idea what they're talking about."

Bile begins to rise in my throat as I stare at my bowl of stew, willing away tears. I push my bowl away from me.

"I've lost my appetite." I quickly stand and hurry from the room. The dining room has gone silent other than a few murmurs and I run up the stairs, straight into my room and out of the window.

My room faces the forest at the back of the house and has two windows. One facing the forest and one facing opposite a window in the house next door. In the window facing the woods, there is a large flat area where I usually write songs, draw or just sit alone when I need to get away from things. I sit down and pull my knees up to my chest, tucking my head down.

His expression is stuck in my head. The confusion in his eyes as they laughed about all the great times we used to have as kids. The frown on his face as he could remember. I guess I shouldn't blame him. District 4 was probably full of new faces and new memories that replaced the old ones. The ones of me.

I lift my head and stare out at the sunset. Its Dad's favourite time of day. The colours always seem to calm him, no matter how stressed he's been. In our art room, on the back wall, there is a large sunset painted on it. Dad would tell me that he can only paint when he's relaxed and this is the only way he can paint at any time of the day. Its stories like that that make me love my parents. They have so many stories. The story that's told the most is how they came together. But I've heard that one over a million times. Mum says there are still more stories to tell but now's not the right time to hear them.

Just thinking of that has calmed me. I wipe away the tears that fell unwillingly on my face and cross my legs. I still feel uncomfortable in the dress. I feel like a different person. Someone that I'm not.

There's a quiet knock that makes me jump. I spin my head to see Finn with his head leaning out the window.

"Room for one more?" I nod slightly and turn back to the sunset. The sun is almost all gone now and a feeling of emptiness settles in my chest. "Are you okay? You ran out of there so quick." I nod again, not trusting my voice to lie for me.

He settles next to me and watches me. I can see him out of the corner of my eye but refuse to look at him, knowing there are remnants of my tears on my cheeks.

"Is it something I did?"

And there it is. The one question I didn't want to hear. It wasn't something he did; it was what he didn't do. He didn't remember me.

"It doesn't matter," I mumble.

"It clearly does, Orion. I can see something made you upset."

He called me Orion. Not Rye. Not Riley (which is what he called me as children). Orion. Another pang of emotion floods my chest. But this time, it's not emptiness or abandonment; it's jealousy. I'm jealous that he doesn't remember but I do. Because he doesn't have to feel the way I do.

I let out a deep breath and kick a stone off the roof with the tip of my shoe. My vision begins to blur again and I look down.

"Orion, look at me." I shake my head and face the other way. "Look at me," he says firmly. He takes hold of my chin and softly turns my face to his. The tears flow over once I blink and his gaze holds mine.

"You don't remember," I whisper.

"Is that what you're upset about?" he asks. I don't respond. He lets out a large sigh. "Look, I'm sorry that I don't remember about when we used to play together as kids but-"

I let out a cold laugh, cutting him off suddenly. "Is that what you think? That we used to play together and that's all? Let me just get one thing straight; it was a whole lot more than just 'playing together'."

I turn away but he continues staring at me. "What do you mean 'a whole lot more'?"

"You were my only friend, Finn. My _best_ friend. We'd do everything together. When you left, it broke my heart. So don't just tell me you're sorry for not remember we used to _play together._" I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "I envy you, Finn. Not having to feel like this. I suppose you made tons of friends in 4, with your good looks and your incredible personality. It bet it took all of three hours to forget about me," I say quietly.

He stares at me, a shocked expression on his face. He doesn't say anything though. There's nothing he can say. We sit in silence for what seems like forever before there's a voice.

"Desert's being served," my Dad's voice cuts through the quiet. Finn takes one last look at me and climbs back through the window. I stare back out into the forest, the sky a dull orange glow. "You coming down for desert, Rye?"

"I'm not hungry," I answer quietly.

"Okay, Honey. Don't stay out here too long." I'm thankful my Dad knows when I need my space. He leaves my room and shuts my bedroom door. That's when the tears flow again.

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**Just want to say that this story will get more cheerful as it goes on... I'm not completely depressing**

**PLEASE REVIEW **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! So I've decided to try and update this story every Friday (seeing as it's called Friday Night Dinner) I hope that's convenient for everyone... anyways, here's chapter three:)**

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I wake up suddenly, like a jolt of electricity is coursing through my veins. I'm in bed. _How the fuck did that happen? And how did I get into my pyjamas?_ All I can remember from last night is sitting outside the window for hours staring at the stars. Or at least, that's all I'm choosing to remember. I roll out of bed, throwing the cover haphazardly on the floor.

I check my calendar. There's a big red circle around today's date. 1st of September. Today is the first day back at school. With a groan and drag my feet across the floor on my way to the bathroom. I try not to think of the torturous teachers I will have to endure this year as I strip of my night clothes.

After a quick shower, I throw on my favourite pair of pale blue jeans, a white camisole and black and white plaid shirt. After drying my hair, I braid it and then put on a black beanie. I check myself in the mirror. I feel more comfortable in my own skin; more so than last night, without a doubt. Dresses and tight tops aren't my thing. My thing is jeans, a baggy shirt and my board. That's the way I like it. I grab my backpack, that I've had for weeks and exit my bedroom.

I skip downstairs and walk into the kitchen. Dad is sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. He smiles when he sees me and asks, "What are you doing up so early?"

I glance at the clock. 6:40AM. I laugh a little. "Must be the baker blood." He laughs too. "Shouldn't you be at the Bakery?" I ask, curious. Dad's never been one for a lie in, always up early to put fresh dough in the oven.

"Leo has it covered, said I should take the morning off," he says, as if the words are foreign on his tongue. "Remind me to never take advice from Leo again; I've been bored out of my mind since 5:00AM." Leo has been working in the Bakery since he was 15 and is like another brother to me. Sure when I was younger, I had a major crush on him. Gorgeous green eyes and jet black hair. But now our love is and always will be platonic. I laugh and pour myself a bowl of cereal, sitting next to him. "Are you going to tell me what happened last night?" Dad asks suddenly.

I raise my eyes to look at him. His baby blues are filled with concern. I sigh, thinking about the look on Finn's face as I told him I envied him. The unrecognisable look in his eyes when he left me alone. I can't look at Dad anymore and stare down at the cornflakes floating in my milk. I open my mouth to talk but no words come out, so I shut it and shake my head.

"I don't know what was said on the roof but Finn hardly touched his desert." His words of consolation do nothing but make my chest hurt. "You'll grow back together, you'll see. I told you when you were young that things will only get better if you help it happen and I meant it."

"But what if they don't, Dad? What then? What if I just mess things up even more than I already have?" I argue.

"Rye," Dad says softly. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

I don't trust myself to speak so I just nod. He stands and pulls me from my chair, gathering me into a hug. Dad's hugs are always warm and reassuring. Whenever I feel alone, I just need one of Dad's hugs to feel safe and loved again.

He releases me and we sit back down. I clear my throat. "So where are the Odair's living?"

"They moved in next door." I almost drop my spoon and spill a little milk on the table.

"Oh… that's nice," I cover, quickly grabbing a kitchen towel and mopping it up.

We eat the rest of our breakfast in a comfortable silence. At 7:30, Mum comes in from her morning hunt, hauling a bag of game larger than we've seen in months. She dumps it on the table and smiles proudly.

"Impressive," I say, peeking the bag. "How much of it is ours?"

"I'm going to trade it all down at the Hob but the deer on the back porch is all ours," she says with a smirk. I choke on my cup of tea.

"_Deer?!_" She nods and I rush outside. Like she said, a large deer lies on the porch, with only blood around its head. "Such a clean kill, too. I wish I was there," I grumble as I walk into the kitchen.

"Maybe next time, Rye. But right now, you've got to get to school," Mum says, planting a kiss on the top of my head. I glance up at the clock and curse under my breath. Dad shoots me a warning look and I smile guiltily. I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk to the broom cupboard. I open the door and smile at the sight of my board. _My baby._ It took me two years to save up for this board. I had the underside of the deck personalised with my name shaped in red flames, standing out from the black of the rest of the board.

"Rye!" Mum shouts. I just picked up my board when she shouts. I look up and raise my eyebrows in question. "I promised Finnick and Annie that you'd walk with Finn to school today." The smile that I had on my face from seeing my board disappears immediately. "Do me this one favour and I won't make you do your laundry for a month," she adds with a pleading tone. I groan and roll my eyes. "Thank you!" she calls and I shut the front door.

I roll down the drive way and turn to go down the street but put down my foot as soon as I am in front of next door. Finn sits on the steps, his school bag beside him. His head snaps up and the sound of me kicking up my skateboard. We stay like that for a while, just staring at each other, both of us afraid to say something. Eventually I break the silence. "Are you just going to sit there and make me late for school or get up off your ass?"

A smile ghosts his face, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a relieved smile. He jumps up, swings his bag onto his shoulder and jogs downs the steps. I drop my board back down and push off with one foot, slowly skating alongside Finn as he walks. He keeps glancing over at me and opening his mouth but he seems to be having an internal conflict with himself. At the seventh time I snap.

"Just spit it out."

"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "Okay? I'm sorry for being a dick about everything." I don't say anything for a while. Suddenly, at the same time we both turn to each other and say, "Can we just be friends?" Small smiles break out on our faces and he laughs lightly.

"I'd like that very much," Finn says.

"Me too."

We turn the corner and the school comes into sight. My heart sinks as I think of the day ahead. I kick up my board again and we walk up the steps. I push through the crowds to the office, Finn following closely. I ask for both our schedules and locker numbers.

"Sure thing. Hey, are you new here?" she asks me. I sigh and rub my forehead.

"No, but he is," I say, nodding towards Finn behind me. He gives the receptionist a small wave and she flushes red. I snort and grab Finn's hand, dragging him away from the 20 something woman behind the desk with the obvious crush. Our lockers are right beside each other's which is good enough for me.

"Can I see your schedule?" he asks. I hand it over and he scans it, and then frowns. "I don't have any periods with you today." I take my schedule back and shrug.

"I guess I'll see you later then?" he asks as the bell rings. I nod and he gives me a small smile before wandering off down the hall. I sigh and put my board into my locker. I'm thankful that I've got one of the larger lockers now and I slam it shut with my skateboard safely inside.

I walk into my first lesson of the day, English, and sit at the desk near the back. I slump down in the chair and put my head in my folded arms on the desk, trying to catch a few more minutes of treasured time alone.

"Good morning!"

I jump and snap my head to the space next to me, which is now occupied by Maddie.

"Jesus shit, Mad. I think I just had a heart attack! How are you so quiet?"

"You forget that you're not the only one with a hunter for a parent," she says with a wink. My mother and her father were hunting partners as teenagers. "So how'd it go last night?" I drop my head back down and groan in response. "That bad, huh? It'll be fine, don't worry. I still stand by my word that you guys'll get together."

I turn my head and look at her, her face plastered with a cheesy smile. "Mad, he didn't remember." Her smile falters and she looks at me seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't remember who I was." I launch into the story of what happened, making sure I told her of the look on his face as he left me on the roof.

"At least you've started again. Now he can get to know you as the person you are now and not the kid you were then," she offers. I shrug at her words, "I guess so."

"Don't burn the bridge down yet, Rye. Give it time," she says with a smile as the teacher walks into the room.

_It's going to be a long day._


	4. Chapter 4

After four hours of intense torture with four different teachers, Maddie and I quickly exit the Maths room and head for our lockers. Once we've grabbed our lunches, we head outside. It's always been our thing that we eat lunch under the old oak tree. Only when the weather is really awful is when we don't eat it out here.

We settle under the tree; Maddie leaning against the trunk and me sitting opposite. This was also where we first became friends. I was sat under the tree reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and she rushed over to tell me how much she loved that book. We spent the rest of the week talking about different books and at the weekend she came over to watch all the Harry Potter films. I lent her The Fault in our Stars by John Green and I never got it back, she loved it so much. I didn't mind though because it meant that I finally had a friend since Finn left.

"What do you think of this year's teachers?"

"They all suck, as per usual. I'm just glad that I'm invisible to most of them," I say.

Maddie sighs. "Thank your lucky stars that you are. They never give me a break. 'Madeline, can you do this?' 'Madeline, can you be quiet?' 'Madeline, where's your homework?' It's ridiculous!"

I laugh and Maddie smirks, shaking her head. We open our lunches and begin to trade food. This is also what we've always done. It started when Maddie had a jelly pot that she didn't want to eat, so I traded it for my Babybell.

"What have you got today?" she asks. I peek inside my brown bag.

"Ham roll, an apple, Babybell and… a snickers. What about you?"

"Left over pizza, a banana and another jelly pot. I'll trade you… jelly pot for babybell and pizza for ham roll. I had pizza last night; I haven't had ham in so long and I know how much you love your snickers," she smiles.

"Deal." We swap the food and begin to eat, talking about mundane subjects such as what we're going to do once the week is over.

"I might go shopping; I need a new winter coat since the last once got singed." She looks at me pointedly. I put my hands up.

"Hey, it's your own fault for leaving me alone with an open flame!" She rolls her eyes. Her eyes look away from me for a second then return to me, wide and excited. "What are you doing with your eyes? Stop it, you're being weird." I take a large bite of pizza.

"Hey, Orion." I jump and let out a yelp. I start choking on the pizza piece and cough, my eyes watering. Maddie begins to laugh and I cover my mouth, breathing hard.

"Shit, can you two be a little louder when you approach? That's the second time today I've almost died of a heart attack!" Finn and Maddie both laugh and I glare at them.

"Mind if I join you?"

Before I can open my mouth to answer, Maddie responds, "Not at all. Take a seat."

He sits down and smiles at me. I clear my throat. "Uh- Finn this is Gale and Madge's daughter, Madeline. But we call her Mad because… well, she's a little psycho." She throws the Babybell at my head but I'm faster and catch it in my hand, without even having to look. "She's also very predictable." Maddie sneers at me and I smile while Finn lets out a little chuckle.

"What do you think of D12 high school so far?" Maddie asks. Finn shrugs, "It's alright, I suppose."

I snort. "It's a fucking hellhole, that's what it is," I mutter under my breath. "Have you made any friends in class?" He shrugs again.

"A couple of guys asked if I wanted to play football with them- said I looked athletic enough for the team- but I declined. Surfing's always been the only sport I've done, and anyways, I wanted to find you." He gives me a small smile and I look down, trying to hide my blush. Maddie smirks.

"What do you have for lunch?" says Maddie. I frown at her. She raises her eyebrow. "What? I was thinking maybe he could join in our trade."

"Uh, I've just got two apples, and energy drink and some red vines. They're all I picked up this morning anyway."

"Hold on a minute. You have RED VINES?!" Maddie shrieks. Both Finn and I move backwards a little bit. "How do you have red vines?! They don't sell them here!"

"I brought them with me from 4. I have a whole cupboard full at home," he answers hurriedly, as if trying not to anger her.

"You are now officially my new best friend!"

"Hey!" I say. "I am still here you know!"

"I know! But he has _red vines._"

I roll my eyes and turn to Finn, who looks terrified. "Run. Run and never look back. Take your red vines with you and run. It's the only way to save yourself."

He seems to relax a little and lets out a small laugh. He reaches into his bag and pulls out the packet. Opening it he offers it forward towards Maddie, whose smile stretches so far across her face I fear her lip might split. She takes one. "I think I'm in love with you," she whispers. I look at Finn, who looks at me confused. Maddie looks up and sees our expressions. "I meant the red vine, not you Finn. No offense."

"Offense taken," he laughs.

After a while the bell rings and we gather up our bags. Maddie runs ahead, saying she has to go to her locker, leaving me and Finn alone.

"Can I walk home with you today?" he asks quietly. I nod. He lets out a breath of… relief? We make it to the back door of the school and I sigh, not wanting to go back inside. Finn stops and faces me. I look at him and frown.

"What?"

His eyes narrow slightly. His hand reaches up and brushes a piece of hair that's fallen out of my hat. His fingers brush over my cheek. It's like a jolt of electricity has been sent through me, but its not like this morning, when I woke up from my fitful sleep. Its making my toes tingle, my palms sweaty and my heartbeat faster. He smiles, pulling his hand back to show me. "You had a leaf in your hair."

I roll my eyes and turn away to hide my blush. "Come on, we're going to be late."

We barge through the hallway and we stop outside of my classroom. "I'll meet you at my locker." He nods and smiles before walking away. I hurry into the classroom and sit at the desk next to Maddie. She looks at me suspiciously before turning away. I know my blush is still there. My cheek is still burning from where his fingertips brushed over it. I reach my hand up and touch the spot. My heart is still thumping in my chest.

How can one touch do that? After everything that happened last night, how can I let myself begin to feel like that from one touch? _He forgot you, Orion,_ I think, _stop acting like a stupid teenage girl. He doesn't feel the same._ The voice in my head is cold and harsh but I know it's right.

No matter what I feel, I have to ignore it. It's the only chance I have at being friends with Finn after he forgot about me. It would be reckless to develop some stupid little crush and ruin everything, especially when I know he will never feel the same. Will he?

* * *

**Sorry for not updating on Friday, I've been quite busy. **

**I spent all of yesterday watching Supernatural with is one of the best TV shows I have ever watched FYI but anyways**

**If you love me, could you go and check out my most recent video on my youtube channel SongsToBeHeard. It's called Runaways / Open Your Mind (Open Your Mind begins at 3:33) and they're the best songs I've ever written. I'd really appreciate it if you told me what you think of them.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review because reviews make me happy:) **


	5. Chapter 5

**I actually wrote the song in this chapter, so if you go to my youtube channel SongsToBeHeard and look at the song Running you can actually listen to it:)**

* * *

Throughout the last two hours of the day, I can't seem to concentrate. My mind drifts on more than one occasion, but if the teachers did notice, they didn't call me out on it. I guess it's because it's the first day back; they expect kids to still be in the holiday daze.

"What are you doing tonight?" Maddie asks as we leave our last class of the day, History. I shrug.

"I think I'm just going to do my homework and then sit outside the window and try to finish reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

"Again? You've read Perks, what? Nine times?"

"It's a good book, okay?" I say. "I've got to go and meet Finn, I'll see you tomorrow."

She gives me a suggestive smirk and says, "Have fun." Her singsong voice rings in my ears as I roll my eyes and turn in the opposite direction.

When I reach my locker, Finn's already standing against it. He sees me and smiles. Its infectious and I can't help but smile back. I grab my board from my locker and tuck it under my arm.

"Ready to go?" He nods and we push through the thinning crowds. "How was your first day?" I ask once we make our way down the front steps.

"School's school I guess. Nothing special. I did make some friends in my last class, though." He smiles at me, almost apologetically.

"That's great." I try to sound enthusiastic and match my words with a smile. He lets out a breath and looks down at the ground. "Are you going to sit with them at lunch tomorrow?"

"Maybe, I don't know." We fall into silence, with only the sound of our shoes on the ground to be heard. I kick a stone as I walk and watch it as it rolls forward diagonally. Finn kicks it next once we reach it, back in my direction. I smile and kick it again. The stone goes back and forth, turning into a game of who can kick it first. I'm just about to bring my foot forward when two arms wrap around my waist and lift me up. I laugh and Finn gets to the stone first.

"That's not fair, you cheated!" I complain.

"Sometimes you have to play a little dirty," he winks. I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder lightly. We reach our houses and I turn to say goodbye when he cuts me off. "Walk with me tomorrow?"

"Uh- ok, yeah, sure," I stammer out. He gives me a smile. It's only now that I realise how close we are. Finn is fairly tall, but I myself having long legs, he's only got a couple of inches on me. Something warm wraps around my hand but I can't bring myself to tear my eyes from his.

Someone clears their throat and I jump. Finnick stands on the porch, leaning against the wooden rails with a smirk on his face. "Finn, you've got to finish sorting through the boxes so we can redecorate your room, move your ass. Hey, Rye," he gives me a small wave.

"Hi, Uncle Finnick," I say awkwardly. He turns and walks back in the house. Finn gives a small chuckle and smiles at me again.

"See you tomorrow, Rye." The warmth, that I've figured out is his own hand, squeezes my fingers slightly before disappearing completely with Finn as he runs into his house.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I mumble, staring after him. Rolling my eyes at myself, I quickly walk up the steps to my house and open the door.

"Mum! Dad! I'm home!" I call.

"In the kitchen!" my Dad's voice calls back. I enter the kitchen to find Dad and Gale sitting with mugs of coffee.

"Uncle Gale!" I run and give him a hug.

"Hey, Rye. How've you been?" he asks with a tired smile.

"I'm fine. How're you and Madge? How's David?" I ask excitedly. I've only been to see Maddie's new little brother twice, and both times I've not been able to control myself. He's so adorable.

"David's happy. Madge and I are just tired."

"I can see that," I laugh, pointing at the dark circles under his eyes.

"Have you seen Mad? I thought she'd be with you," he frowns.

"I think she got a lift home. I walked with Finn," I answer.

"Finn, eh?" he smirks. "What's it like with him back?" he teases. The smile drops from my faces and I look at the floor, unable to produce an answer.

"Like having new, old neighbours," Dad quickly recovers for me. I flash him a grateful smile and he smiles back.

"I'm going to sit on the roof; I'll see you later, Uncle Gale." I slip out the room quickly. I run up the stairs, depositing my board in the cupboard beforehand, and enter my room. I pick up my blue guitar and notebook and slide out onto the roof.

I open my notebook to last page I wrote in, the lyrics written in ink.

_It's become so hard, for me to close my eyes. To turn my back and fall on you, right into your arms. I've forgotten what is real and how to tell the difference, between this and dream. _

_This is your song. Tell me what's right from wrong. Let's go all the way. 'Cause maybe, yeah baby, you're here to stay. _

I struggle to think of lyrics. I had an idea of what this song was about. I suppose it's obviously from the last line of the chorus. Finn. I decide to just play the chords and see what comes to mind.

_No, don't close your eyes. I need to next to me. I'll never turn my back on someone that I need. But, Darling, everything's on fire and we're running, running, running, to escape the tower. _

_This is your song. Tell me what's right from wrong. Let's go all the way. 'Cause maybe, yeah baby, you're here to stay._

_Running, running, running, running, running, running, running, running, hold my hand._

_Running, running, running, running, running, running, running, across the land. _

_This is your song. Tell me what's right from wrong. Let's go all the way. 'Cause maybe, yeah baby, oh baby, yeah maybe_

_This is your song. Tell me what you're running from. Let's go all the way. 'Cause baby, yeah baby, you're here to stay. _

I smile as the last chord strums and I grab my pad, scribbling down the lyrics. All of a sudden, I hear a slow clap. My head snaps to the left and I see Finn standing on the roof next door, smiling. My eyes go wide and my heart pounds in my chest.

"Shit."

"That was incredible, Rye." All I can manage is a small smile for a brief second.

"So, uh- that's your room?" I ask, awkwardly. He nods and glances back in the window.

"You should record yourself, put it online," he suggests. This actually causes me to laugh. He looks at me confused.

"Ha, um, no way. I'll stick to singing on my roof, thanks. Where no one can hear."

"I heard."

* * *

**SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING it seems my fridays have become busier. Who'd have though I have a social life?**

**anyways, REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED AND STUFF OK COOL ILY **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really bad at this** **updating every friday thing aren't I?**

* * *

"_Sing for me, Riley!" _

"_Finn, you know I don't like singing for people," I whine. He pouts and makes puppy dog eyes, causing me to giggle."Urgh fine!" _

_I begin to sing a song my mum always sings to me when I can't sleep. _

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow. Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, and when they open again, the sun will rise."_

_I stop singing and look at Finn. He gapes at me with wide eyes and a large smile. I giggle again. _

"_Your singing is amazing, Riley! I don't know why you don't like singing in front of people. You could be famous!" he exclaims. My cheeks begin to red and I shake my head. _

"_I don't like people hearing me sing. I get embarrassed," I explain. _

"_I heard."_

I sit up in bed with a start, tears threatening to fall. I take deep breaths but when I realise my attempts are useless I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I splash my face with water. This is the second night I've had flashbacks. I stare at myself in the mirror. I put my hair into a messy bun to try and get the heat off my neck. I'm going to struggle to hide the dark circles under my eyes, but I'll have to ask Maddie to cover it up. Sighing, I tiptoe back to my room.

I check the time. 3:30 am. Rolling my eyes I sit at my desk and pull out my sketch pad. My desk is right under my window that faces the other window of Finn's room. I pull open my curtains to let some moonlight in. Finn's curtains are also open and his light is on, but he's nowhere to be seen.

I begin to sketch. I draw the young girl and boy from the dream. They sit on a grassy hill under a large oak tree, both in t-shirts and shorts. They're both laughing. I shut my eyes to picture it more vividly. The colours become clearer and I smile.

I open my eyes, intent on reaching for my coloured pencils and let out a small scream. I clamp my hand over my mouth and look at my door to make sure no one heard me. Once I'm sure no one did, I open my window. The sound of Finn's laughter fills my ears.

"That wasn't funny!" I scold, quietly.

"It- so- was-" he says between laughs. I scowl and shut my curtains. "Oh come on, Rye, it was pretty funny!" I hear him call. I can't help it; a small smile appears on my face. I open my curtains again and glare at him. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Drawing," I say simply, going back to my pad.

"At three thirty in the morning?" he asks.

"Yes."

"Do you always make it this hard to have conversations?"

"Yup."

He chuckles quietly and I look up. "What are _you _doing?" I ask.

"Couldn't sleep. New house, no sea; it's difficult, y'know?" He shrugs and pulls up a chair. I smile sadly.

"Do you miss District 4 already?" He nods. "What about your friends?" He nods again. "Did you.. uh- did you have a girlfriend?" I try to sound casual but my question comes out strained. A small smile graces his lips and I look down, pretending to be concentrating on my sketch.

"I didn't, no," he says. "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" He coughs, like me, trying to make it sound casual.

"Me? Have a boyfriend?" I laugh. He frowns. "Uh, no, I don't."

"How come?"

"Are you serious?"

"Did I stutter?"

I look up, startled. He sounded sharp and his face is serious. "Do you really want me to answer that question?" I ask. He doesn't answer but continues staring. I sigh and put down my pencil. "You want to know why I haven't got a boyfriend? Ok. Because I'm me. I read. I'm shy. I dress like a guy. I don't wear makeup. I haven't got big boobs or a nice ass. I'm not pretty. I'm not like other girls. I'm… invisible. And, d'you know what? I like it that way."

I don't wait for his answer. I get up, shut my window and shut my curtains. Letting out a shaky breath, I sit back down. I bite my lip and blink away tears. I don't understand why I'm acting like a hormonal teenage girl, It's really not like me. I hate the way I've been acting.

"You're such an idiot, Rye!" I groan. I lean forward and pull the corner of the curtain back slightly. Finn sits with his head in his hands. He looks up and I drop the fabric again.

* * *

A banging at my door wakes me. I sit up with a start. I must've fallen asleep at my desk after trying to come up with how I was going to explain myself to Finn. Rubbing my eyes, I shout that I'll be down for breakfast soon.

After a quick shower, I dress in my usual gear and run down the stairs.

"Cutting it close today," Mum comments.

I grab an apple and my board and run out the house, yelling a goodbye. I run down the steps and up to Finn's house. I'm about to knock on the door when it opens. Finn stands there with his backpack and a smile.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."

"Come on, I'm already running late." I grab his wrist and drag him out the house.

We make our way to school, walking quickly. The silence is awkward again.

"I'm sorry," we both say at the same time. We laugh again.

"What are you sorry for?" he asks.

"I shouldn't have unloaded all of that on you. And the way I left things last night… it was uncalled for. I-"

"No, it was uncalled for, for me to ask you that. I shouldn't have been so insensitive."

"You weren't insensitive. You were just curious. I shouldn't have snapped the way I did."

He stays quiet for a while. We reach the steps leading into the school and he stops.

"I thought about what you said last night, a lot. And I just thought you should know that… because you're not like other girls, makes you so much more special. And that… you're not invisible, to me."

And with that, he's gone, leaving me standing on the steps.

"You're late, Miss Mellark," Mrs Seeder says. I freeze in my attempt to sneak into class. _How did she even see me? She had her back turned! _

"Sorry, Miss," I say.

"Tardiness is bad manners, Miss Mellark. Don't let it happen again. Take your seat."

I quickly walk to my desk at the back of the class and slide down, keeping my face hidden. Something pokes me in my side and I turn to see what I was.

"You look like shit, Rye. How much sleep did you get last night?" Maddie whispers. I shrug and cover my mouth to hide my yawn. Throughout class, I struggle to stay awake; Maddie has to poke me more than once.

I make it to lunch and by now I've gotten my second wind. We sit under the oak tree with our lunch. After about half an hour Maddie asks the question that's been playing on my mind the whole time.

"Where's Finn?"

"Um, I don't know. He said he made some friends yesterday. Maybe he's with them?" Maddie looks unconvinced.

"Did something happen?"

I sigh. "I don't think so. But we keep having these moments. Like one minute we'll be fine, acting like new friends should but then he'll say something and…"

"Things like what?"

"Well, last night for example, I couldn't sleep and evidently, neither could he. He asked me why I haven't got a boyfriend and I snapped a little. Said it was because I wasn't like other girls and that I was invisible. Then this morning he told me because I'm not like other girls makes me special and that I wasn't invisible to him."

Maddie begins squealing loudly and laughing like a maniac. "Don't you see?! He likes you!"

"He's known me for two days, you can't be serious. Mad, calm down, jeez!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, Maddie. Calm down, I mean, Orion has a point. Who would ever like _her?"_ a cold voice says from behind me. Maddie's laughs stop and her face turns cold.

"What do you want, Marina?" I ask, my voice small. I don't dare turn around.

"I came to talk to you about the new boy. Finley, is it?"

"Finn."

"Same dif. I was just wondering, what was a guy like _him _doing hanging with a girl like _you?_" Her calm voice sends chills through my body. I build up enough courage to turn around.

Marina is everything I'm not. She's got the boobs, the bleach blonde hair, the full lips, the fluttery eyelashes. And contrary to popular belief, she's _very _smart. The only difference in her beauty and Maddie's beauty is that she's fake. Fake all over. And yet she's the hottest girl in school.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Oh, I would have, but I didn't want to seem too forward. It's better to dig around in the dirt first, if you know what I mean." A cruel smile plays on her lips. _Yes, Rye. She did just call you dirt._ My mind is in overdrive. "You're useless as usual. No wonder Finn's hanging out with the right crowd now."

"Wait, Finn's with you?" Maddie asks, completely bewildered.

"He wised up. Now, out of my way, Freak." She kicks my shoulder, knocking me over and struts past, her friends doing the same.

I sit back up and brush myself off.

"One day, I'm going to hit her. And hard," Maddie growls. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." My words come out in a whisper. Tears are about to spill down my face so I quickly gather up my bag and run for it. I hear Maddie calling after me but I just keep running.

I make it to my locker and I grab my board. I slam it shut but as I turn, the first thing I see stops me from running in that direction. Finn stands with a large group of people; Jocks and popular girls. He's laughing and joking with them. He sees me and smiles but I don't smile back. I just run the other direction, Marina's words ringing in my ears.

_What was a guy like _him_ doing hanging with a girl like _you_? _


	7. Chapter 7

I sit up on a branch of a tall tree while I try to catch my breath. Tears fall silently down my face and I grip the tree so hard my knuckles turn white. I thought I was over this, but I suppose I'm not.

"Stop it, stop it," I repeat over and over. I ball up my sleeve and bite down on it, letting out a small scream of muffled frustration. I think of all the people I love; Mum, Dad, Damon and Maddie's faces all appear behind my closed eyes. My heart begins to slow down and my breathing becomes even again. I wipe away the tears and rest my head up against the trunk. This was what I had hoped wouldn't happen. I can't afford to go through this again.

Eventually, I bring myself to climb down from the tree; I pick up my backpack and begin the trek home. It takes me only thirty minutes to get back but by the time I've gotten home the sun has started to set. I try to open the door quietly and sneak upstairs but Mum's voice calls from the kitchen.

"Shit," I mutter as I take my foot off the bottom step and walk to the kitchen. Mum and Dad are both sat at the kitchen table; Mum's eyes are rimmed red and Dad's are full of worry. "Hey," I say quietly.

Mum jumps up and gathers me into a hug while Dad presses a kiss to my temple. Mum pulls back and holds me at arm's length.

"Where have you been? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I was in the forest, no and just a bad day," I say with a weak smile.

"We were worried that something happened. When Finn came over and said you ran out the school doors-"

"Finn was here?" I ask, half curious, half trying to change the subject. I really did not want to talk about what happened.

"Yes, he was worried about you, as we all were," Dad says.

"I'm fine," I reply. "I just need some sleep." Mum kisses me on the forehead and Dad does the same as I bid them goodnight. I walk up the stairs for the second time and shut my bedroom door behind me. As soon as I turn on the light, there's a tapping at my window. I look out and Finn is standing with a notepad with an arrow pointing to the right. I walk out onto my ledge and he does the same. "Hey."

"Are you okay? What happened?" he asks, not wasting any time.

"I'm fine, geez how many times do I have to say it," I sigh, with a fake laugh. He looks at me, with the same unconvinced look Maddie had early.

"One minute you _were_ fine, the next you were running out of school. What happened, Orion?"

"Nothing!" I yell. "It doesn't matter! I don't want anyone to worry about me so just… stop." I bit my lip and will back tears. I slump down and cover my face with my hands.

"Rye," he says. His voice is soft and barely audible. "Please."

"I don't know what happened, okay? I'm not worth worrying about, Finn."

"Don't say that, Riley."

My head snaps up and I look over at Finn. My eyes are wide and my jaw open. Finn's face is calm and collected, unlike my own confused and dazed.

"You- you called me Riley," I stammer.

"Yeah."

"But- but you don't- I thought you didn't-"

"I was going to tell you after school, but you weren't there. I've been having… sort of flashbacks. Dreams about myself as a kid.I guess being back here is bringing them back. But there's always this one girl there, called Riley." A small smile forms on his lips and I let out a shocked laugh. He begins to chuckle too.

"If there wasn't a massive gap between our roofs, I hug you," I laugh.

"Tomorrow morning then," he says with a wink. I nod happily. "You sure you're okay?" I nod again and give him a genuine smile. With a nod, he says, "Goodnight, _Riley._"

"Goodnight, _Finny_," I laugh.

That night is the first night I've had a full night's sleep. I carry out my morning routine with a bounce in my step and make my way to the Odair house in record time. Finn opens the door and gives me a dazzling smile. I waste no time wrapping my arms around his neck. He picks me up and spins me around, both of us laughing. When he puts me down we both just stand there, smiling like idiots.

"Come on." He takes my hand and we run out the door. "I had another dream," he says.

"What about?"

"It was a summer day and we were in a garden. My Dad had set up the sprinkler and so we got into our swimming gear and we were jumping through it. You were wearing this light blue swimming costume but you borrowed a pair of my swimming trunks to go over the top." He laughs lightly.

I smile at the memory. I remember that day. I still have the picture Uncle Finnick took pinned up on my wall. It's only now that I realise Finn has not let go of my hand. He squeezes it gently and I bump his shoulder.

When we reach school, I loosen my grip on Finn's hand, indicating for him to let go but he keeps holding on. I look at him in confusion but he seems unfazed and pulls me up the steps.

"Finn, you don't want people to see you holding hands with me," I stop him just outside the doors.

"Why not? Is this your way of telling me _you _don't want to be seen holding hands with _me_?" he jokes.

"No!" I say, a little too quickly. "Uh- I mean, I just don't want you- _UMPH_!" My hand is knocked out of Finn's as a body collides with mine. Two arms are wrapped around my chest squeezing me tightly.

"I was so worried!" Maddie cries. I can't help but smile at how much she cares. "I kept calling but it kept going to voicemail and just- ORION MELLARK WHAT YOU WERE THINKING?!"

"I'm sorry!" I laugh, hugging her back. She has tears in her eyes and she's trying to look angry but there's a small smiling trying to break onto her face. "Come on, let's go in."

The three of us walk in together, this time without Finn holding my hand. I still receive looks for being with him but not as many as I would have. We go to our lockers and the bell rings. Finn bangs his head on the lockers, groaning.

"I don't want to go."

"Finn, come on, you have to."

"Don't make me go, Riley!" He sticks out his bottom lip, pouting like a child. I roll my eyes and smile.

"If you won't go, I'm going to force you," I warn.

"Oh, yeah? And how are you going to do that?"

I raise an eyebrow. I never back down from a challenge. I take a step towards him, an evil smirk on my face. "You're still ticklish, aren't you, Finny?" His eyes widen for a second before he regains his cool and shakes head. I narrow my eyes. My hands dart out and attack his sides. He begins laughing like a maniac, squirming and squealing. I laugh at his reaction and he finally gives in.

"Okay! Okay! Stop! Please!" I take my hands away and he glares at me, breathing heavily. I'm clutching my stomach, doubled over in laughter. "You're gonna get it, Mellark."

"Ooh, I'm so scared, Odair."

"Yeah, well you should be!" I try to run past him but he grabs my waist from behind, lifts me up and spins me around.

"Finn, we're going to be late, put me down!" I exclaim. Finn laughs and drops me, but just as he does, he grabs my hand and runs towards our English room, dragging me behind him.

We make it just in time, the bell ringing as we enter the room. The teacher hasn't arrived yet so we slip into the two empty seats at the back of the room unnoticed. Mr Templesmith enters, his curly blonde hair sticking in so many directions. In fact, last Halloween he came into school dressed as Einstein. The memory makes me chuckle. Finn gives me a funny look and I mouth 'I'll tell you later'.

"Today, we will begin working on Shakespearian language and technique. You shall work in pairs to produce an essay on the effect it has on the audience as well as a short exert from one of his plays. You can spend today planning but you will do the load of the work at home." The whole class groans as he waves his hand in signal to begin before opening a copy of Capitol Weekly.

"Hey, wanna work with me?" Finn nudges my shoulder.

"Hmm… I don't know." I nudge him back. "Convince me why I should agree."

"Well, firstly, you'll get to spend time looking at my beautiful face." I scoff and he sneers at me before continuing. "Second, if you don't, we'll be stuck with some dipshits that we can't stand. And thirdly, because I'm asking; you should feel honoured." He puffs out his chest and smiles cockily.

"What play are we going to do then?"

"What?! You mean you'll be my partner?! Ladies and gentleman, Orion Mellark has agreed to work with me!" He takes a bow, thanking an imaginary audience. I slap the back of his head and he laughs. "I don't know. Romeo and Juliet?"

I groan. "That's so overdone. And almost everyone in here is going to do it. How about Hamlet?"

He looks at me as if I've grown two heads. "How about no?" I roll my eyes. "I like A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"Let's do it," I smile.

* * *

**Things are going to go up and then go down and you might hate me because of it so I'll apologise in advance. Sorry if Katniss was a bit OOC at the start but that will be explained when things go down.**

**Review if you love me:) **


	8. Chapter 8

"So then what happened?"

"Nothing else, that's all."

"He so totally likes you!"

"We partnered together for the English project, it's not like we got married. Jeez."

I let out a large sigh. Ever since we sat down under our tree for lunch, Maddie has been asking me questions until I retold the whole story of last night and this morning. It seems she saw us holding hands before school.

"Wait, if all this happened, then where is he now?"

"I guess he decided to still hang with his new friends…" My voice trails off as I spot Finn across the field. He's sitting in the group he was with yesterday, only this time Marina is sitting close, her arm on his bicep, shamelessly flirting. Maddie follows my gaze and makes a gagging sound.

"Whore."

I burst out laughing, never hearing a word like that pass Maddie's lips before. Sure, she cusses from time to time but other than that she's pretty sweet about her language. My loud laughter catches the attention of Finn. He smiles widely at the sight of me trying to recover from my laughing fit. I return the smile. It's at this exact moment that Marina decides it would be perfect to crawl over Finn's lap to 'talk' to her friend, clearly exposing her chest to Finn's vision. I don't blame him for looking although I am a little miffed at Marina's actions. Finn turns his eyes back to me, crosses his eyes and sticks his tongue out to the side; I can't help but smile again.

After school, I meet Finn at my locker again. I found out that Maddie has been getting a lift home with Jack Andrews for the past week, and after a long History lesson of teasing her about it, I made her promise to call me with details as soon as anything happened.

"Hey," Finn greets me as I grab my board. "What are you doing tonight?" I open my mouth to answer but out of the corner of my eye, I see Marina glaring at me. She then puts on a fake smile and approaches us.

"For the love of Merlin, don't come over here."

"Hey Finn!" her sickly sweet voice rings in my ears. The scowl that graces my face 99% of the time returns in an instant. "How are you, Rye?"

"Fine," I growl, through gritted teeth.

"Finn, there's going to be a party tonight, wanna come?" She bats her eyelashes and sticks out her chest. I smirk at the ground remembering what Maddie called her at lunch and how excruciatingly accurate those words actually are. Marina has probably slept with half the boy population in our school.

Finn flashes her a charming smile and says, "I'd love to, but I was going to hang out with Rye tonight."

Jealousy flashes behind her eyes and her smile drops a little. Knowing full well what will happen if I don't, I say, "I'll be fine. Go to the party."

"Really?"

I just nod. Marina smirks and puts her hand on Finn's bicep.

"I'll see you tonight then." She leaves with a wink and a flirty smile. I let out a large breath I didn't know I was holding and turn to leave, Finn following close behind.

"Hey, wait up. Jesus, Riley, why are you walking so fast?"

I hadn't even noticed how fast I'd been walking but when I stop and turn, I see that Finn is several paces behind me. I laugh awkwardly and rub the back of my neck. "Sorry about that, I just had to get out of there. Long day."

Finn nods, muttering something like, "Sure, whatever you say."

The walk feels different to what it did this morning, though it has nothing to do with Marina. I feel different. I feel like something's missing. We walk in silence, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but something feels wrong. I look down and automatically realise what it is. We're not holding hands. I shake my head and try to ignore these feelings but Finn seems to be feeling the same, or is reading my mind, though I'm sure it's probably not the latter.

The backs of our hands brush as our arms swing and a shock jolts up my arm. Then I feel Finn's fingers run gently over the palm of my hand before entwining our fingers. I fight the smile that wants to cover my face. Still no words are said, but the feeling has faded. Now there is just a feeling of electricity running up and down my arm, coursing through my veins.

I say goodbye to Finn when we reach our houses, but as soon as I let go of his hand, I miss the warmth. I'm confusing myself as much as he's confusing me. One minute I don't want anything to do with him because he forgot about me, the next I'm feeling empty when he's not holding my hand. I feel like more emotions are running through my head than there are in a teenage soap opera. I sigh and lay back on my bed.

There's only tomorrow and Friday and then I'm free for a whole two days. I might go hunting or put in some extra hours at the bakery, even though Dad gave me the week off, I don't care really; its two days away from School and heck I'm going to enjoy them.

It's around 12:30 when there's a tapping at my window. Frowning, I put down my book and go over to my window. And there in the moonlight, clad in blue jeans and a leather jacket, stands Finn, smiling like an idiot.

"Did you just throw a rock at my window?" I ask.

Finn smirks. "Maybe."

"What do you want, Romeo?" I say, sarcastically.

"We aren't doing Romeo and Juliet, dumbass. If anything I'd be Lysander and you'd be Hermia," he states. I roll my eyes.

"Well, _Lysander, _why are you calling on this ungodly hour?" I ask in a Shakespearian accent.

"I wish to enter your chambers, my love. The moon is bright in the sky, illuminating your beauty and I am blinded by it, but I'm freezing my tits off down here!"

I laugh. "Lovely twist on Shakespeare, you should consider writing plays," I say with mock seriousness.

"I'm not kidding, Riley, it's fucking freezing. Can I come up?"

"Why don't you just go into your _own house_?"

"I forgot my keys and my window is locked, now are you going to let a needy prince in or does a bro have to sit out here with blue balls all night?"

I roll my eyes, muttering, "More like damsel in distress. Sure, climb up the trellis." After many failed attempts, Finn manages to climb in and falls face first on my bed. "Why are you back so early? Don't these things go on 'till like… 4 in the morning?" I ask casually, trying to sound as if nothing's bothering me.

"It's still going on. I wasn't having much fun though, so I came back."

"How come?"

"You weren't there."

A blush creeps its way onto my cheeks and thankfully, Finn is still facing down so he can't see. I press the back of my hands to my face hoping to cool them down.

"Although, I'm confused. Maddie was there, how come you didn't go?" he asks.

"Maddie is friends with the popular kids. God knows why she chooses to hang with me every lunch when she could be with them but I don't call her out on it. I tried asking her before but she shoved jelly in my face so I haven't made that mistake again," I chuckle quietly.

"Why do you do that?" Finn asks, looking at me.

"Do what?"

"Put yourself down."

"Because it's true," I shrug. And it is. I don't feel ashamed or upset that I'm not popular. Maddie _chooses _to hang with me, she's not obligated to. I've always known that there's a difference between being liked and having friends. Finn doesn't say anything to my last answer, just stares at me. I decide a change of subject is in order. "Was Maddie with a guy called Jack Andrews by any chance?"

"Tall, dark brown hair, broody and mysterious?"

"That's the one," I laugh.

"Yeah, she was. He had his arm around her waist most of the night,"

"Remind me to tease her about that tomorrow. She has a massive crush on him." We both smirk.

"Can I have lunch with you tomorrow?" he asks suddenly. I'm taken aback by the question. Why did he feel the need to ask?

"Why? Bored of your new friends already?" I ask jokingly. _Just like he was bored of you, _the voice in my head whispers.

"No, I just want to. Maybe I could bring Jack along too," he smiles devilishly. My smile matches his.

We spend the rest of the night talking about meaningless subjects. We didn't get a wink of sleep and at 6:30, Finn climbs back down the trellis so he can go and get ready for school. We meet up outside our houses, not looking tired at all and make our way to school, our hands in each other's again.

* * *

**I'm staying at a friend's house for the next three days because I'm going to the HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR ((OMFG IM SO EXCITED)) so that's why I'm updating today:) **

**I hope everyone is having a good Easter**

**Review and maybe I'll update quicker;) **


	9. Chapter 9

Thankfully, the day flies by and before I know it, I'm collapsing on the grass under our tree. Maddie and I lie side by side, complaining about the day.

"Mr Jones is such an asshole! I mean, I understand one piece of homework for the weekend but he's assigned us three! THREE! How the hell am I going to get all that done, buy a new coat, do all my other homework and look after David?!"

"And keep being a dramatic teenage girl, too? Who knows how you'll manage!" I exclaim loudly. She punches my shoulder but joins in my laughter. We lay in the sun with our eyes shut for a while. A shadow covers our light and I shiver once the warmth stops reaching me.

"Whoever is blocking the sun better move fast or I swear to the angel I'm going to screw up your face," Maddie spits.

"Ouch, Mad. I really thought we had something," a deep male voice says. We open our eyes and are greeted with Jack Andrews and Finn, grinning down at us. Maddie flushes a beet red and I laugh. She punches me again and we take their extended hands to help us up. "What are you doing here?" she asks, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Jack sits down next to her, Finn next to me, and shrugs.

"A change of scenery is always nice. Plus I love spending time with you." He bumps his shoulder with hers and she does it back.

"Hey, Finn, want to flirt really obviously to make these two feel uncomfortable?" I ask loudly. Something soft hits the side of my head and I look down at the object. "A sandwich? You have an apple in your bag and you throw a sandwich? I really haven't taught you anything, have I?" I smirk and Maddie holds up the apple.

"Thanks for the tip." The apple is launched at my head, but all I do is tilt my head to the right and it whizzes past my ear. Sighing, I shake my head. "Well, you're a hunter! What do you expect?" she mumbles. "Trade?" I nod. "Okay, dairylea dunker for packet of crisps? And, if you get the apple I threw, I'll trade it for your banana." I stand up, retrieve the apple and we make the switch.

"I don't understand what just happened but I'd prefer not to get involved," I hear Jack say to Finn. Then I get my idea for revenge for hitting me with the sandwich. I pick up the dairylea and tell them I'll be right back. Then, once Maddie is distracted talking to Jack, I put a large dollop of cream cheese on one of the bread sticks and approach her from , I wipe the cheese all over her cheek before sitting back down and biting the end of the bread stick off. Maddie sits with her mouth open wide.

"Mellark."

"Hawthorne."

"Did you really just wipe cheese on my face?"

"Hm… I'm not sure. Maybe you should ask the sandwich you threw at my head."

"Jack? I suggest we take cover," says Finn. "Things are about to get ugly."

Maddie and I both reach for our water bottles at the same time and spray each other from head to toe. When our bottles are empty we're both stare at each other, waiting to see who cracks first. A smile is trying to make its way onto Maddie's face and her eyes begin to water. Her shoulders shake and she lets out a loud laugh. I throw my arms up in the air. "Yes! I AM VICTORIOUS!"

"But we're not!" Finn shouts.

We turn and see they got some of the splash back, their hair is matted to their foreheads and their shirts are damp. This only makes us laugh harder.

"Is this what happens on a daily basis?!" Jack asks. Maddie goes quiet at Jack's angry tone. I'm getting ready to break his nose when he smiles and says, "Because if it is, I'm having lunch with you guys again. I haven't had this much fun in forever!" Maddie grins, leans over, and kisses his cheek, causing them to both blush.

Finn puts his arm around my shoulder and rests his head on mine, sighing. "Look at them, all blushy and grown up." I laugh and, much to my reluctance, shove Finn off me. "Do you want to start the English project tonight?" he asks me. I smile and nod.

The rest of lunch runs smoother than the start, and by the end I can clearly see what an awesome couple Jack and Maddie would make. On the walk back into school, Maddie and Finn stay behind to talk, so I walk with Jack.

He clears his throat and I look at him. He's around the same height as Finn, and quite a considerable height more than Maddie, so I have to look up. "Uh- does Maddie talk about me? At all? Like, when it's just the two of you? I mean, I was just wondering because-"

"Jack, sweetie, breathe." He gives me a small smile and takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to tell you if she does or not, that's breaking the bro code."

"The bro code only applies to guys."

"Hey, I'm more of a bro then you'll ever be!" I counter, jokingly. "Just ask her out."

"I don't think you understand how much I cannot do that."

"Well either you ask her out, or she thinks you're not interested, or just playing her, and kicks your ass out of her life before you can even say redvine."

He smiles, "She does love redvines." Then after a moment of pondering he says, "Okay, I'm gonna do it. How should I do it? Like… in a note or a text or on the phone or-"

"Jack, breathe!" I remind him again. "Just go up to her and ask her face to face. Look, pretend you're Maddie and I'm you for a second." We stop and he looks at me confused. I then put on my best impression of his low voice and saunter up to him. "_Hey baby, how 'bout we start goin' steady?_"

He laughs. "Okay, first of all, I'm not Danny Zuko. And second, she'd never say yes to me if I did that! She'd prefer it if it was spontaneous, y'know? Like… as we say goodbye and she starts walking away, grab her hand and pull her back to me, kissing her hard and then saying it softly."

I smile so widely that I fear my cheeks will split. "That's exactly what I wanted you to say. Do that and I swear she'll melt in your arms." Then with a nod and a short goodbye, we part ways.

At the end of the day Finn and I walk home, talking animatedly about Jack and Maddie.

"And is he going to ask her out?"

"You should have heard how he was going to do it, it was the most adorable thing!"

Then Finn goes quiet. "I feel like all my masculinity has been sucked from my body."

"What masculinity?" I ask innocently. His mouth drops open and he shoves me. We both laugh, stumbling through my front door. "MUM! DAD! I'M HOME!" I scream. Finn winces. "Hehe, sorry about that."

"COME IN THE LIVING ROOM, RYE!" I look at Finn and he shrugs. We turn right and walk into the living room. Our living room is fairly large and great for gatherings, like Christmas, because there's lots of room. The TV is mounted on the wall above the fireplace Uncle Beetee turned into a media centre. Mum, Dad, Finn and Annie are all sitting on the sofas, watching old videos from their days as teens. There are familiar faces like Gale and Madge, and some unfamiliar ones. But then- _no, _I think, _it can't be_.

"Is that Johanna?!" I laugh, as a menacing looking girl, with jet black hair in a pixie cut, descends the stairs in a pink dress and bow in her hair. Everyone laughs as a young Johanna flips off the camera and storms out of view. I haven't seen Johanna since I was 13 and she flew off to Cambodia to teach at a school. She's been travelling the world ever since, sending home presents from all the countries she's visited and worked in.

"A lot has changed, hasn't it?" Annie says, leaning into Finnick's chest. He kisses the top of her head and I smile. It's always been obvious how much our parents love each other. You can see it in the way the look into the other's eyes.

"Do you want to stay here for dinner?" Dad asks the Odairs. Finnick smiles, "Why not?"

"Riley and I have to do our English project anyway," says Finn. I smile when he uses my nickname. No one else ever calls me that. Just him.

"Hey, how about we make it tradition?" Mum suggests. "Friday night dinner. One week, we'll eat here, the next at yours." Everyone agrees and a tradition is born.

It doesn't take long for dinner to be ready, so Finn and I have only got the introduction to our essay but the rest of the night our efforts are abandoned as we play games with our family in the living room.

"AND WE ARE THE WINNERS!"

"That is so not fair! You cheated!" Annie shouts.

"How did we cheat?!" Finnick retorts.

"You clearly left the paper on the floor for Peeta to see!" Mum yells at him.

"I could not see the paper!" Dad yells back, grinning.

"Oh, really, Dad? How did you guess The Gulag Archielgo from whatever the hell Uncle Finnick was doing?!"

"Well it's a stupid book title anyway." Finnick crosses his arms and stops like a small child. "Who's _brilliant _mind submitted it in the first place?"

I smirk, tap my head with two fingers and salute him from the floor, where I'm sitting. I hear Dad mutter, "Evil little child." And I stand up to take my go. _The Matrix. _I roll my eyes and tuck the slip into my pocket. This is going to be easy. I nod at Mum and she starts the timer as I turn to Finn.

I slowly lean backwards and pretend I'm dodging bullets like Neo. Finn laughs and yells out the answer. Everyone groans that it was too easy and when asked who submitted it, Finnick returns my salute with a wink.

Finnick and Annie thank my parents for the meal and I say goodbye to Finn at the door.

"Want to see if Jack and Maddie want to meet up tomorrow? You still have to show me around this place. So far I know, my house, your house and school…"

I smile and say that I'll call Maddie in the morning if he'll call Jack. He says okay and just smiles at me.

"Goodnight, Finny."

"Goodnight, Riley."

And then he's gone.

* * *

**HEY GROOVY PEOPLE**

**ok so i didn't update last week because i had family over and because of writers block and just ... yeah. Okay so hopefully this weekend I'll have started a NEW STORY TOO ((it's going to M rated so expect smut (which is not written by me but my best friend as she's MUCH better at writing it then I am)) so keep your eyes peeled for that. **

**Remember, reviews make me happy and i could really use happy right now I LOVE EVERYONE THAT READS THIS OKAY THANK YOU BYE -panemsbest**


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, I wake up early and call Maddie.

"'Sup Mellark?"

"Not much, Hawthorne. Finn and I were just wondering if you and Jack wanted to meet for breakfast or something."

"Sure. The nanny is coming to look after David at 10, so want to meet at Cray's at 10:30?"

"Sounds good. I think Finn is going to call Jack so I'll text him the details. See you then, loser."

"See ya, faggot."

I laugh and cut off the call, texting Finn the details before jumping in the shower. I'm thankful for the last of the summer sun still being here, the cold never agrees with me; especially since there's hardly anything to hunt. I decide that being spontaneous today is a good idea and so I put on a pair of shorts, along with a camisole, another one of my shirts and my blue converse. I look over at my beanie drawer.

"Not today," I say to myself, frowning. I know that I'll just get too hot and the last thing I want is to faint from heat stroke. Even putting my hair in a braid would be too hot so I flip my hair and put it up in a messy bun. When I'm finally satisfied with how I look, I grab my bag and run down the stairs, almost crashing into someone on the way down.

"Slow down, Sparky," he says.

"Sorry, Cinna. I'm in a bit of a rush."

Cinna was one of my mother's closest friends when she was a teenager. He could always give her a job when money was tight and even had her modelling for him sometimes. Cinna is one of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. His dark skin and hazel brown eyes tell you he's probably originally from District 11, but he moved to the Capitol to pursue his dream of fashion. The difference between Cinna and the other stylists from the Capitol is that where their clothes are extravagant and over the top, the most Cinna ever wears is simple gold eyeliner.

He smiles, "No problem. Any idea where you mother is? We've got some things to discuss regarding some extra help in the shop."

"She's probably still asleep. She had late night yesterday and was pretty exhausted. Either that or she's at the bakery with Dad."

"Thank you. Have fun with that boy today."

"How do you know who I'm meeting?" I ask, confused.

He leans in closely and whispers, "Because he's been sat on your front porch for about ten minutes."

I laugh and wave goodbye. Just as Cinna said, Finn is sat on the steps of the front porch.

"You could have just come inside, you know." He turns his head and smiles at me. He's wearing a pale blue t-shirt and a cartoon surfboard on it, and cargo shorts. As much as I've been trying not to think things like this about him, I can't deny that he looks good. His eyes widen a little when he sees my bare legs and he gulps. I blush, thankful that I remembered to shave my legs this morning, and sit next to him.

"I know, it's a nice day is all. I thought I'd soak up the last of the sunshine."

"It's going to be a rough winter," I tell him. "Mum's probably going to end up cancelling Sunday Hunts when the weather gets too harsh, telling me she doesn't want me getting pneumonia or something. I'm going to be spending the majority of the holidays in the Bakery." I sigh.

"Do you not like working in the Bakery, then?" Finns asks.

"It's not that I don't love working in the Bakery, because I do, it's just that I'll miss the one on one time with Mum and I'll miss the thrill of releasing an arrow," I say. "I guess the extra money wouldn't hurt though. I've been saving up for this old red pickup since my 16th but I'm nowhere near my goal."

"I've been saving for a car too. My parent's offered to pay for it but I wanted it to be my responsibility, you know?" I nod.

"Yeah, mine too. I've had this truck on reserve for months. It's old and rusty and beat up, but it would be mine. Plus I've worked plenty of hours at my Grandpa Haymitch's garage and I can fix it up the way I need to."

"That sounds awesome. At least now I know where to go when my car breaks down and I need a discount," he smiles, nudging me.

I pull him up, telling him that we're going to be late. We race towards the town, laughing and joking, and all I can think is how nice it is to have my best friend back.

We see Jack and Maddie sitting by the fountain outside of Cray's Café and walk towards them.

"HOLY MOTHER OF REDVINE, ORION MELLARK IS WEARING SHORTS!" Maddie yells, rushing towards me. "And look! No hat or braid. Who are you and what have you done with Rye?!" I laugh and turn around. She jumps on my back in a piggyback and we walk back towards the fountain, where Jack and Finn are. "This day shall go down in history!" She throws both arms up in the air, causing me to wobble.

"Mad, it's not that amazing. I'm just wearing shorts."

"You look good though, Rye. And who'd have thought that we'd ever see the day that Orion Mellark went out without her beanie," says Jack.

"Alright, alright, enough. I get it, I'm dressed differently. Can we go eat now? I'm a baker, its 10:40 and I still haven't had breakfast. It feels like I haven't eaten in days."

As if on cue, my stomach growls loudly and they all laugh.

Cray's Café is a small joint in the centre of town that my parent's used to hang out in as kids. It was small back then, but now it's one of most popular places in town. The seats are red leather and there's always music playing overhead, though it's never the popular crap that's played on the radio, which is why it's my favourite place.

The waitress greets us with a smile and takes our orders, skipping over me and Maddie, as they always know what we're going to order.

We chat and laugh for a while, talking about school and playing 21 Questions. It feels like we've talked about almost everything by the time we've finished our plates. We order another refill of coffee and wait for our food to go down.

"So, Finn," Jack asks with a smirk. "You've been here for a week. Have you got a crush on anyone yet?"

Jack and Maddie's eyes flit over to me and they both smirk. My heart is in my ears. Of course he doesn't like me, but the insinuation that Jack and Maddie are making that he might, is making me incredibly nervous.

Finn laughs nervously and looks down at his coffee. "Uh- maybe, I don't know."

"Come on, tell us who it is!" Maddie urges.

"What does it matter, she'd never go out with me anyway," he shrugs.

"Oh I beg to differ," Maddie says, glancing at me again. I give her a quick glare, trying to get her to stop.

"I've only known her for a week!" he says. I look at Maddie as if to say _I told you so_. She frowns.

"Well, describe her then," says Jack.

"She's… flirty? She was a little full on at the beginning of the week but… I don't know, I'm starting to get to know her in class and she's actually really nice."

"Just tell us her name," I say teasingly, joining in so he doesn't catch on how I'm starting to feel about him.

"It's Marina."

_Oh._

* * *

***Dodges food and sharp objects thrown***

**hey guys...**

**sorry for not updating recently I've had a busy two weeks. Last weekend I had family up and wasn't allowed on the internet (hahahaha kill me) and this weekend I went to the Lincoln 2013 YouTube Gathering ((you can see my video for that on my other youtube channel JoshandBurry: that will be up tonight))**

**please review and not hate me and im really really sorry okay im sorry i love you**


	11. Chapter 11

"W-what?" Maddie says, with a look of pure shock on her face.

I feel as though my lungs are going to collapse. Marina. He likes Marina. I stare at the table. Blood is in my ears and most noise has fuzzed out. Marina. My mind is in overdrive. Of course he likes Marina. What guy, that's not in a relationship, _doesn't _like Marina.

Jack and Maddie look at each other. Jack only looks confused but Maddie looks a cross between horrified, disgusted and furious.

Finn's cheeks tint pink and he looks down at his coffee cup. He shrugs, "Yeah. She'd never go out with me anyway, she's too popular."

I clear my throat, everyone looks towards me. "She likes you. Trust me."

"Really? How do you know?" Finn asks, intrigued and excited.

Maddie looks back at me, shaking her head slightly, remembering what happened at the start of the week. I ignore her.

"She told me." I put on a big fake smile. I've gotten good at these. Finn smiles back. _Good,_I think, _he can't see through me._ Maddie, on the other hand, is a different story. She looks so disappointed in me that I almost feel guilty.

"I didn't know you guys were friends," says Finn.

"We're not friends... exactly..." I mutter. I don't look at her, but I know Maddie is trying to refrain from rolling her eyes.

"So… should I ask her out or should I wait a little bit?" he asks Jack.

Jack, still a little confused by his answer just stares at him. Maddie has to nudge his knee to get him to stop staring. "Uh- uh… I don't know, dude."

"She'll say yes, either way," I tell him.

* * *

"Rye, I'm so so sorry."

"For what?" I laugh.

Maddie and I are sitting on my roof, looking over the Math homework from the week. We got back from the Café and came straight up here.

"If we had known that was his answer, Jack and I would never have pestered him to find out who he liked. I was _so sure _it was you! The hell were you thinking saying that stuff to him though?!"

I smile and shrug. "I don't know. I just thought that I want him to be happy, even if it is with the most manipulative evil soul sucking cow in the school. It's no big deal. It just means I don't have to waste my time on developing some stupid crush on a guy that was never going to like me back anyway."

She looks at me sadly. "You really like him, don't you?"

I shrug again. I've never really thought about it. Of course, I've always had feelings for Finn, but those were just feelings for a lost friend. I guess the hand holding and closer friendship had triggered something in me. But how did everyone else see it and not me?

"That obvious, huh?" She laughs, as if it was the _most _obvious thing. "I don't know. I guess… he's everything I thought he would be? It's uh… hard to explain. In reality we've known each other properly for a week but the history makes it feel as though he never left."

"I get it," she says, sighing. "I was SO SURE THOUGH! I mean, the way he looked at you was not just a friend way, and you guys were always holding hands and stuff. I just don't see how he can like that bimbo!"

I shrug a third time. "At least this means I can get over him."

"Get over who?"

I freeze. My eyes widen and Maddie covers her mouth. Turning, I see Finn, just climbing out onto his roof, with a lazy grin.

"Finn! Haha… how much of that conversation did you hear?" I ask awkwardly.

"Just the last bit. Get over who, Riley?"

"That's eavesdropping and it's very rude." When he looks at me with a 'are you serious' face I just wave him off. "Oh! It's no one. Not important."

He frowns. "No, come on, that's not fair. I told you who I like," He complains. He pouts like a child and all my brain is thinking is about how cute he looks. _No, _I scold myself, _don't think that. _

"Honestly, Finn, it's no one, it really doesn't matter," I tell him, hoping he'll drop it. He folds his arms, now looking a little annoyed. His muscles flex under his t-shirt and- _SHUT UP!_

"Rye, tell me who you were talking about. This isn't fair."

I start to panic, thinking of excuses when Maddie bursts out, "LEO! IT'S LEO! SHE LIKES LEO!"

I whip around and look at her, completely shocked and confused.

"_What?!_" I whisper harshly.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do!" she whispers back.

"Um how about… _not say anything?!"_

"Who's Leo?" Finn asks.

_Shit, I forgot he was still here. _ I open my mouth to talk but Maddie beats me too it again. "It's this guy. This guy that- that works in her Dad's bakery. He's tall with dark hair and kinda broody and is kinda popular. He goes to our school."

"_WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!" _I whisper again. She looks at me guiltily and pulls a face.

"Oh, yeah, I think I know him," says Finn. "Why do you want to get over him, Riley?"

I swallow thickly and decide to just twist my story slightly.

"See, we've known each other for a long time and I don't think he sees me as anything more than a friend. Plus he likes someone else anyway." Putting on another fake smile, I shrug as if it's no big deal.

"Well, he must be insane for liking someone else."

"Yeah," I mutter. "He must be."

After Finn bids us goodbye and climbs back into his room and turn to Maddie.

She chuckles nervously. "You know, if looks could kill I'd probably be dead right now," she points out. I glare at her. "I'm sorry! You were panicking and I panicked too!" I sigh and drop my head to my lap before muffling a scream. Maddie rubs my back sympathetically.

"Next time you're with Jack I'm going to humiliate the hell out of you."

"Rye! No! Please don't!" she begs, sheer terror on her face.

I smirk. "Watch your back, Hawthorne."

We try and complete the rest of the homework but I can't concentrate. I think I'm going to be sick. All my mind is thinking is g_reat, now I have to pretend I like someone that I don't like to stop the person I actually like from finding out that I like them._ Being a teenage girl just got complicated.

* * *

**Bonsoir mon amis:)**

**((I'm not even taking french any more okay))**

**I hope this can suffice. I know the chapter is short and is kind of a filler but it does link with the rest of the story. BUT I have two exams coming up in the next two weeks for updates may not be for a while as I shall be hidden behind stacks of revision (aka crying on tumblr about how badly I'm going to fail my gcses)**

**Review, I LOVE YOU ALL**


	12. Chapter 12

After school on Monday I start my shift at the Bakery again, after two weeks of freedom. It's not difficult to get back into the swing of things. I walk in through the back door and hang my bag up. Then I put on my apron, yell hello to my Dad, who's usually in the office, and check the orders. Usually, I'm in charge of baking the cakes and cookies, Leo is in charge of pastries and we both help out Dad with anything else.

There are three orders for birthday cakes, but all three aren't needed 'till the weekend and don't need to be baked until Friday night, and apart from that I have no orders to fill. I check that the displays are full, and restock the ones that aren't before retreating into the back room. The ovens keep the kitchen constantly hot so even in the winter you work up a sweat. I take off my large shirt so I'm only in my camisole and take out the dough that's risen over night.

"Honey, I'm home!" a voice sings out. I roll my eyes and he bursts into the kitchen. "In your hot blood, Rye?" he asks. I flip him off and Leo laughs, throwing his arm around me. "Oh, I'll never get tired of that greeting."

"Gross, get off me. You're all sweaty," I groan, shrugging off his arm.

"Speak for yourself," he mutters, throwing on his apron. "I just got back from Football try outs and didn't have time to shower."

"How'd it go?" I ask.

"Well," he replies. "I have a great shot of getting on the team because I'm a senior but I'm really hoping for quarterback this year."

"I bet you'll get it. But even if you don't you're a great wide receiver. You didn't drop the ball once last year," I say, leaning down to check on the cookies.

"You'll come to the game right?" Leo asks with a hopeful smile.

"Of course I will," I laugh, ruffling his hair. "I always do." We continue to work, Leo humming along to the cheesy pop song on the radio. Someday I'll get my Ipod and blast real music through the Bakery, scaring off any unwanted hipster teens that walk through the door asking for a 'low fat frappuccino'. If I'm honest, I'm a little bored of redirecting them to Cray's.

After I tell him to shut up, we work in silence. He scoots past me to put his pie in the oven and I start to choke.

"Fucking hell, dude! You stink!"

"Really? Do I smell better now?!" He then attacks me in a bear hug, smothering me in his smell. I scream and laugh, trying to pry his arms from around my head, his underarm stench intoxicating me.

"Rye, can you deal with the customer please?" Dad calls out. Leo and I had been laughing so loudly that I didn't even hear the bell ring.

"Sure, Dad," I yell back. I grab a kitchen cloth to wipe my hands with and bump the door open with my ass. "Welcome to Mellark's, how can I-"

"_Finally, _some service!" she says sarcastically. "I was beginning to think this place was going out of business."

I ignore her comment and keep my face neutral. I clench my fists by my sides to stop them from shaking and say, "What can I get you, Marina?"

"Nothing, god do you think I'd order something from here?" she sneers. My chest starts to tighten. It seems all the ovens have been turned up to high. "I'm here to talk about Finn."

"What about him?" I ask shakily.

"Oh it's nothing bad," she says sweetly, leaning on the counter. "I just wondered what he thought of me, is all."

I stare at her. _Why is she asking me?_ I think, but then it all makes sense. She's using this to torture me. It seems everyone at school apart from Finn has noticed my crush on him. "He likes you."

She flips her hair and bats her eyelashes, "Really? You really think so?" She sticks out her chest even further and her smile turns into a snarl. "Good, you'd be no good for him anyway. You only bring him down."

I hear Leo call my name from the back, asking what's taking so long and that he needs help so Marina stands up straight and says, "I left something in the suggestion box; you might want to read it." She winks at me, fixes her sunglasses and then struts out, ass swinging and boobs bouncing.

As soon as the door closes I let out my breath. I'm dizzy, really dizzy. I put my hands on the counter to try and steady myself, clenching and unclenching my fists. Then, I reached over to the suggestion box, flipped the lid and pulled out the slip that was on top.

I dropped it on the counter as soon as my eyes saw the words. I cover my mouth and slide to the floor against the back wall. _No. This can't be happening again. Please not again. Please not-_

"Rye?"

I didn't even hear him come in but I look up and Leo is kneeling next to me. He puts his hands on my cheeks and wipes away tears.

"Rye, talk to me, what happened?" I don't say anything. My eyes flit to the counter. He stands up and picks up that piece of paper, reading it. He slams it down on the counter and turns back to me. "Who wrote this? Rye, tell me. I'm going to beat the shit out of them!"

"I-I-" I stammer, trying to get the words out. "I don't know who wrote it. I just checked the box," I lie. I feel awful for lying to him but I don't want Leo to get in trouble for doing anything stupid for me. He grabs my hands and pulls me up, swallowing me in his arms.

"I thought this was over. I thought this was all sorted out."

"So did I," I whisper. I then begin to openly sob into his shirt. He rubs my back until the tears stop. Then he pulls away and looks into my eyes, smiling slightly.

"You're okay, Rye. I'm here." I nod slightly. "I have an idea." He picks up the slip, grabs a box of matches from the drawer and leads me out back. We sit on the back step and he tells me to light a match, so I do. I then hold the match under the paper and watch the words burn away.

_Orion Mellark should do everyone a favour and kill herself._

To

_Orion Mellark should do every-_

To

_Orion Mell-_

To nothing.

"See," Leo says. "They're gone. Burnt to ash. In the dust. _Meaningless._" I nod and he wraps his arms around me.

"I love you, bro," I mumble quietly.

"I love you too, sis." The bell rings and he presses a quick kiss to my forehead before going to deal with the customer.

* * *

After work, Leo and I walk to my house and sit in the garden. We decided not to tell my Dad, after much begging from me, under the fact that I didn't want my parents to worry. But Leo made me promise that the next time it happens, I tell them right away or he'll tell them.

"You know Brianne Willson?" He asks. I nod. Brianne Willson is a beautiful redheaded girl in my year who hangs around with all the cheerleaders. I've spoken to her many times; when she comes into the Bakery she always orders an oatmeal cookie and a blueberry muffin. She's an amazing person, always doing charity events and fundraising. She's planning on becoming a lawyer. "I think I'm in love with her."

A smile spreads across my face. "How do you know?"

He fights his own smile and runs his fingers through his messy black hair. "She asked me for Chemistry tutoring… oh there was _Chemistry _alright," he laughs with a wink. I shove his shoulder and laugh with him. We lie back and stare at the clouds. "She won't go out with me though," he sighs.

"How come?" I ask, confused. Brianne and Leo seem like the perfect couple.

"I keep hinting that I like her but she's not taking the bait. She probably likes someone else."

"Ha ha, been there," I reply sarcastically.

He looks at me questioningly but I just shake my head like it's no big deal.

"So, how's having Finn back?" he asks, changing the subject.

"It's great. It's really, really… great," I answer, unsure of what his smile suggests. "It's nice to have someone to walk to school with."

"Do you not walk with Mad anymore?" he asks.

"Nah, she gets a lift with Jack Andrews," I smirk.

"Andrews? He's an amazing ball player; we were on the baseball team together last year. Good guy. If he messes with her though…" Leo pounds his fist into his hand jokily and I laugh. I always laugh around Leo. He makes me feel safe. Like, if he's around no one can hurt me. Like a big protective shield from the world of bad things. Leo.

My big brother, Leo.

* * *

**Ok so another filler chapter but it's all relevant to the next chapter which helps set the plot for the rest of the story. Get it? No? Never mind...**

**BUT HEY I MADE IT THROUGH MY PHYSICS EXAM AND I DIDN'T DIE! And if I died you guys would get any more update and how sad would you be then, eh? Not much? Oh... okay...**

**Review and tell me what you think:) ((ps. don't start shipping them! This is strictly a platonic relationship and important in the rest of the story!))**


	13. Chapter 13

After a fitful night's sleep, I roll out of bed and trudge into the bathroom. Quickly, I turn on the shower, step in and let the warm rain roll over me as I rub my eyes.

Mum has told me before that both she and Dad used to suffer from nightmares. She'll never tell me what of though. I guess there are something's that are a little too personal. Although, when I asked how she got rid of them, she'd just smile and say, "Your Dad makes them disappear." She says it with this look in her eye that makes me sure that love exists. Unfortunately, I don't have 'my very own Peeta Mellark' (as Mum said I'd have when I was older) right now to stop my nightmares, so the suffering continues.

After twenty minutes of doing nothing, I wash my hair and step out of the shower. I catch myself in the mirror and groan at the presence of the dark circles under my eyes. Thankfully the shower rid my back of all my knots and I'm a little more relaxed. That bad thing is, I'm so relaxed I could fall asleep standing up.

I throw on my usual attire, yell a goodbye to my parents and meet Finn outside.

"Jesus, Riley," he says. "You look like shit."

"Always the charmer, Finn," I reply with a sarcastic smile. We start walking and he looks at me, concerned.

"I'm serious, Rye. You look awful. How much sleep did you get last night?"

I shrug, really not wanting to talk further about the subject, put my board down and push forward. I promised I'd teach Finn how to skate soon because he said he was tired of trying to keep up with me on my board. He shakes his head and quickens his pace to keep walking beside me.

We get to school and I struggle to stay awake in all of my lessons. Eventually, I got around a forty minute nap in History because we were watching some boring film about some war I don't care about. Maddie copies her notes for me, probably because she wants a favour more than just wanting to be a good friend, and after class she gives me the same lecture she always does when I don't get enough sleep.

"It's really unhealthy, and stops you from learning at your best. Not to mention my hand is killing me from having to write my notes out for you. Plus-"

"RYE!"

I sigh, thankful for the interruption. We turn and I see Leo jogging down the hall with an enormous smile on his face. I also see Finn standing by the lockers with Jack and remember that I'm supposed to be pretending to like Leo, so I plaster a big one on mine too.

Over these past few days I've been thinking more and more about Finn and I'm not sure I like it one bit. He's supposed to be my friend and yet, whenever we're alone together, doing homework or just hanging, I find my brain saying _Go on, lean in. Kiss me. Look me in the eyes. Hold my hand. Do something! _It's very distracting when I'm spending 98% of the time trying _not_ to think those things. Not to mention the butterflies. I can't have him say my name without those fucking butterflies making their presence known.

"I've got news," says Leo. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Ummm…." I tap my chin and pretend to be thinking hard. "Your chlamidia is all cleared up?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he glares at me playfully. I laugh. "No, it's not that…" He shoves his hands into his pockets, shyly looking at the floor before exclaiming, "I GOT QUARTERBACK!"

"Congratualtions!" I open my arms and Leo hugs me, picking me up and spinning me around. I laugh and so does he. "I'm so proud of you!"

He sets me down and Maddie gives him a quick hug, saying congrats. He's still got a massive smile on his face. "I just can't believe it. I was so sure Coach James' kid was gonna get it."

"Psh, yeah right. Have you seen him play?" says Maddie. We laugh and he asks us if we're coming to the game. "I am," she says. "Jack's playing and I promised I'd wear his jersey." Leo and I both shout 'AW!' and Maddie blushes, punching both our arms lightly.

"So you two are serious then?" Leo asks.

Maddie shrugs. "He still hasn't asked me out, but I hope he will soon." I can tell she's starting to worry. She always acts like it doesn't bother her but I can see in her eyes that it's killing her.

The bell rings and people in the hall start moving again getting ready for their next class. Leo smiles, plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek and runs down the hallway screaming, "I'm the Quarterback, bitches!"

We watch him, laughing until he disappears. Maddie runs off to her next class and as I say goodbye, I catch Finn looking at me. I give him a half smile and he returns it half-heartedly before looking away quickly.

_Strange,_ I think, but I decide not to make anything of it.

That evening Leo and I are working in the kitchen doing inventory when there's a shout from the front of the shop.

"Oi, assholes, get out here!"

We both walk out and find Maddie sitting on the counter, wearing a loose white top and light blue jeans. I envy her ability to look beautiful in everything. Still, however beautiful she is, I shove her off the counter. She lands on her feet and spins around to look at us, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"I have an idea."

"Oh, no," I groan. Whenever Maddie gets ideas, it almost always ends up with us in trouble, or me injured somehow.

"It's something to help you with your Finn situation," she says.

"Wait, you like Finn?" says Leo excitedly. I roll my eyes.

"I don't know. And there's nothing to help, he like Marina, it's not like I can compare to that," I say glumly.

"Marina?! That evil scheming whore?! How on EARTH could he like _her_?" Leo's face has contorted between horrified and disgusted. I just shrug.

"Just hear me out, okay?" she asks me. I sigh and nod. "Leo, this may or may not be new information to you but upon asking who Rye like, I may have panicked and said you," she tells him. He smiles, looking quite proud. I roll my eyes again and she continues. "And, Rye, I don't know if you saw today, but when we were with Leo and he kissed you on the cheek and spun you around, Finn was watching. And he looked jealous."

I scoff, almost laughing. Finn? Jealous? Of what? It's not like he likes me, so what could he possibly be jealous of? Plus, Leo is just my friend, he knows that!

"I'm serious, Rye. His nostrils flared and his face got all red and he looked pretty pissed. He kept glaring at Leo. So my plan is…" She grins, pausing for effect. Leo is bouncing up and down next to me with excitement, while I'm just getting impatient. "That you two pretend to date to make him jealous."

My jaw drops and I look at her as if she's grown two heads. I turn to Leo, hoping for much of the same reaction but getting the complete opposite.

"Actually," he says thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea."

"What?!" I shout, my voice going up an octave. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard!"

"Come on, Rye. You're not the only one that will benefit from it! It would make Brianne jealous too," he explains.

I look between the two of them. "No! Not only would it be gross, because it's basically incest, it's mean and cruel and someone is going to get hurt."

"Please, Rye? For me?" He makes his puppy dog eyes and it gets to the point where I almost say yes, but I stop myself.

"No, I'm not doing it. And that's final." I stop back into the kitchen and begin to 'angrily knead bread' like Leo always says I do when I'm upset.

"It was worth a shot," I hear Maddie sigh. I can only assume that Leo shrugs because I don't hear any other conversation apart from their goodbyes. When Leo re-enters the kitchen, I don't look at him and we work in silence for the last hour until we shut the Bakery. I give a short goodbye and board home with a stony expression.

In truth, I'm not as furious as I'm acting but he needs to see that jealousy does really ugly things to people and someone _will _get hurt. They always do.

The next morning, seeing Finn almost makes me reconsider the offer, expecially when I make the stupid mistake of asking if he's going to ask out Marina. I'm not sure if it was for my own torture, distraction or benefit (in the hope he decided that she was the evil bitch I know her to be and proclaims his love to me- _wait? What the hell, Rye?!_).

Finn blushes slightly and shakes his head no.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not good enough. She's the most popular girl in school, plus she's got half the guys chasing after her. She could easily have some football player instead of some new kid surfer from D4." He sighs and we approach the school doors. "She's perfect. I don't deserve her anyway."

That's what makes me stop. I'm almost livid with the way she's got him thinking this about himself. I stop him and put my hands on his shoulders, making him look me in the eyes.

"Okay, Finn, if there's one thing that you are, it's good enough. Got it?" He nods, but doesn't say anything. I take my hands off his shoulders and sigh. "She's the one that doesn't deserve you." And I run up the steps before he can say anything else.

My morning lessons really weren't that bad. It took real strength to sit through homeroom while Jack and I stuck things in Maddie's hair while she was asleep. More than once I had to bite down on my jumper sleeve to try not to laugh and Jack was in tears by the end. It was even funnider when she woke up as the bell rang and as she flipped her hair back, all the pencils, rubbers, paper and other items that were placed in her hair flew onto the floor. I ran out of the room but Jack just laughed and laughed and laughed.

I have a free period now and so I make my way to the library, wondering if Jack was still alive or if his corpse was in the janitor's closet somewhere.

I turn right to walk down to the library just as it happens. Finn and Marina's lips collide in a fiery kiss and I'm frozen on the spot. I can't believe it. I guess this is what heartbreak feels like… though, it can't be heartbreak because he never liked me back. And yet, it feels like my heart is shattering, pieces on the floor. I guess I just thought- _No, never mind. Just get out of here._ So I run instead. I run and not think. I run back down the corridor I came and turn left.

"_UMPH!_" I'm just about to fall when two familiar arms wrap around me and catch me.

"Rye? Are you okay?" Leo asks, worried.

I don't answer his question and it seems I continue to not think and I can't the words as they tumble from my mouth.

"I'll do it. I'll be your girlfriend."

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm back! **

**Okay, so I just wanted to say that**

** 1) I'VE GOT TICKETS TO SEE SLEEPING WITH SIRENS LIVE AND IM SO FUCKING EXCITED **

**2) I haven't proof read this so if there are mistakes then I will change them after I've completed German Revision (sigh)**

** 3) It's an extra long chapter so apologise for being away for so long ok and finally **

**4) I have recently started writing an original story and the first four chapters are on right now. It's for a project at school and will eventually be turned into a webseries on my youtube channel and I would appreciate it so much if you guys could go and check it out. My account name is the same as it is on here 'panemsbest' and the story is titled Marked. **

**Okay I LOVE YOU ALL **


	14. Chapter 14

"Y-you will?" he stammers.

I nod quickly, looking behind me. I don't know why. Maybe I'm hoping Finn would chase after me, tell me I had it all wrong, but no. Of course he wouldn't, he's got his tongue down the throat of the hottest girl in school. He probably didn't even see me.

Tears begin to burn behind my eyes. Why did I ever think I had a chance? Look at me, I don't dress girly, I'm not pretty like she is, nor am I as skinny. Why does this bother me so much?

_Because it's her,_ the little voice in my head replies.

If I look as sad as I feel, Leo doesn't notice and smiles at me before wrapping his arms around me saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Rye!"

"No problem," I give him a small (fake) smile.

"I've got to get back to PSHE, but I'll see you after school, okay?" he says, but runs off before I can reply.

And there he leaves me, standing all alone in an empty hallway, the boy I like and the girl I hate just a hallway over making out against his locker. My mouth tastes bitter and metallic. I realise this is because I've bitten on my lip so hard that I've drawn blood. The tears are still burning and my lip begins to quiver, so I quickly run outside to the tree. Once I'm there I let out a sob, finally letting the tears fall.

I guess this is just what it's always going to be like. The better girl gets the guy, every time.

_Except she's not the better girl, _the voice says, _you know what she can do. You're afraid she'll hurt him._

Of course I am. I'm afraid she'll hurt him in the way she's hurt every other guy. Except it'll be so much worse because I'll have to pick up the pieces and then when he's fixed, watch him get hurt by another girl.

The bell rings and people start to filter onto the field for lunch. I quickly wipe my eyes. No use crying over something that was never mine, right?

Maddie and Jack walk over and I smile at them. Jack has his hands in his jeans and Maddie's are holding her messenger bag strap. They're walking the right distance apart but they're too shy to hold hands. Jack sees me watching and I raise my eyebrows, as if to ask if he's asked her yet, but he shakes his head slightly.

They sit down, thankfully neither of them notices anything is wrong, and chatter begins as usual. Maddie and I are trading lunch when Jack asks where Finn is. I shrug.

"I have a feeling he won't be joining us today," I mutter.

"What makes you say that?" Maddie ask, sceptical.

"Just a feeling," I shrug again. I really don't want to get into this right now, especially not with Finn's best guy friend sitting right there. I think there's some kind of bro code where you have to tell the guy if a girl is talking about them… well, I don't want to risk it even if there isn't.

"Hey, Orion," a sweet voice says. I look up and see the beautiful Brianne Willson standing before me in a flowery sundress and her auburn hair in waves, resting on her shoulders.

"Hey, Brianne," I try a smile. I'm instantly jealous. Not of the way Leo feels about her, because that's gross, but because if I looked like her maybe Finn would like me.

_Stop thinking like that! _screams the voice. _If he doesn't like you for you then he's not worth it. You've tried changing to fit in before and see how that turned out._

I hate to admit it, but the voice right.

"So… I was just wondering if the rumours were true," she says shyly, like she shouldn't be talking to me at all. "I mean, I wanted to find out first hand instead of listening to gossip. Which I don't do, by the way! I just-"

"What rumours?" I interrupt before she can babble on.

She flushes red before saying, "That you and Leo are dating."

_Wow, that got around fast... _"Uh… yeah… I guess we are," I mumble. Brianna nods at her feet, looking disappointed. I smile a little. She so likes him! Okay, if I'm not doing this for myself I'm definitely doing it to help Leo. I'll dfo anything to get them together.

"Oh, right. Okay, that's cool. You guys make a cute couple," she smiles sweetly again, and I feel awful. Her eyes look so sad and I don't know what I can say to make her feel better. It's not like I can turn around and say 'oh, don't worry, it's only to make you jealous' but it doesn't stop me from feeling like shit. She's going to hurt because of this. And I'm going to be the cause.

"Anyways," she clears her throat. "I'll catch you later." She gives us a small smile before hurrying off back up towards the school.

Maddie's jaw drops open and she shouts, "You little shit!" She then proceeds in throwing food at me, no matter who's it is or what it is. I put my arms up to shield myself but the food just keeps coming.

"How much food do you have?!" I yelp as an apple hits my upper arm.

"It's all Jack's! But that's beside the point!" The food stops and her hands start. She slaps me at every word. "When were you going to tell me?!"

"I don't know! Stop hitting me!" Jack slowly pulls her back and she huffs, crossing her arms and looking furious.

"'It's a stupid idea' she said, 'that's the worst idea I've ever heard' she said," Maddie imitates my voice as high and annoying; I actually wince at the sound. "You're a goddamn liar! Do you know how bad you made me feel when I left the Bakery?"

"I know, I'm sorry," I say, feeling incredibly guilty. "But I would never have agreed to it if-" I stop myself before I say any more. My eyes are stinging again, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"If what?" Jack asks. I don't reply, I just shake my head and begin picking at my sandwich.

Maddie smacks my shoulder, "If what, asshole?!"

"If I hadn't of seen him making out with Marina!" I scream, but cover my mouth as soon as I've said the words. Maddie's face flushes red as she takes a deep breath to start a rant but I don't want to hear it. I'm sick of hearing it in my own head. I put a hand up to stop her and say, "It doesn't matter anyway. You saw the way Brianne looked when I told her. She likes Leo, and I'm going to help with that. This isn't about Finn." Maddie scoffs and tilts her head, eyebrow raised. "Urgh, okay, so maybe it's a little about Finn. But most of it isn't. Finn probably doesn't even care. I'm doing this for Leo."

* * *

After school, I meet Finn by his locker. He gives me a short hello and we walk out of school. I can feel all eyes on us, but I'm unsure which piece of gossip everyone is talking about. Of course, the guy that was making out with Marina Rambin and the girl who's dating the quarterback walking out of school together would be source for more gossip and rumours. Then again, I don't know who else knows about Marina and Finn apart from me, Maddie and Jack, and they only know because I told them. I bet Marina went around bragging afterwards; just hoping it would get back to me._ I'm just as bad as them, _I think bitterly.

We're almost home and Finn still hasn't said anything. He's awfully smiley but nothing has come out of his mouth.

"Got anything to tell me, Michael Smiley?" I ask teasingly. He scowls at my nickname for him but the smile returns to his face quickly. We stop outside his house and he shakes his head.

"Nope, just a good day is all." With that, he walks to his house, leaving me with nothing but a quick wave.

My chest stings and I frown. Just a good day? He's not even going to tell me about Marina? He's not shut up about her all week! All that torture and when something finally happens, that I know of, he doesn't tell me? Some friend!

I'd like to admit that it hurts a lot more than I thought it would. Am I not trust worthy? Does he not consider me a good enough friend to tell me? He's supposed to be my best friend and he doesn't tell me. I suppose the fact I know makes it a lot worse; the fact that I know he's lying. If I didn't know I could just assume that he had a good day, like he said. Well… he did have a _good _day, I suppose, if you can call choking on Marina's make-up 'good'. I smile a little at my own joke before I realise I'm still stood outside his house.

I shake my head and rush into my house, although I've only made it halfway up that stairs when Mum calls me back down.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the Bakery?" she asks. I throw my head back and groan, sinking to my knees and collapsing on the stairs.

"Momma, I don't feel good," I moan.

"Orion-" she starts in a warning tone, but she cuts herself off, looking at my face. "What happened?"

"Just a bad day is all," I say, mimicking Finn's words.

"I'll call your Dad, come on, we need to have a one to one." She stalks off into the kitchen to get the phone and I flop onto the couch. "I know… she's not feeling too well, Peeta… she can make up her shift tomorrow morning… alright… I love you too, bread boy." She finishes the phone call with a laugh and flops down next to me. "Alright, tell me what's up."

For the next hour and a half I proceed in telling my mother almost everything, only leaving out some things, like what happened at the Bakery with Marina. I'm still not ready to talk about that. Most teenagers would think its weird telling their parent's all this stuff but honestly, after the past couple of years, we're a pretty close family.

"I guess I'm just… hurt by it. A lot more than I'd like to admit, but…" I finish with a shrug, although I can feel the tears brimming.

"Okay, can I just start by staying two things? Firstly, Marina is a whore and a half, she'll probably die of aids and is a washed up slapper who doesn't have a caring cell in her body. She also needs to consider the fact that, not only does her make up make her even uglier than she already is, her personality does too."

"Mum!" I laugh.

She smiles, "It's true, and what Finn sees in her is beyond me! Secondly, I think what you're doing with Leo is a terrible idea because someone is going to get terribly hurt. I'm scared that you're the one that's going to hurt, or someone else is going to, which will make you hurt just as bad. You're like your father and his need to make people feel better. You hurt when people you care about are hurting. I'm not going to stop you from doing it, because you need to make your own mistakes, I'm just saying be careful."

I nod, considering her words for a moment. I know it's a mistake, but it's a mistake I have to make it if it means Leo gets his happy ever after. Mum swallows me in a hug and kisses my forehead before holding my face and looking into my eyes.

"You're such a beautiful girl, Rye. You're going places. Girls like Marina are going to end up working in Target to afford the make-up they use or they're going to live off Daddy's money, but both of us know that money earned is the best kind. So is happiness. Your father and I love you so much, we're so proud of you and Damon and of the amazing people you've grown up to be. I just wish you could see that."

"Thank you, Mum," I whisper.

She smiles, wipes the tear that is falling down my cheek and says, "Come on, let's go make dinner."


	15. Chapter 15

**This hasn't been proof read so if you find any mistakes please point them out and I'll fix them tomorrow:)**

* * *

The next morning, I begin to dread seeing Finn. After my talk with Mum I thought about what would happen. I wondered if he'd tell me about him and Marina. I'm not sure what hurts more actually; the fact I saw the guy I like and the girl I hate making out or that he didn't tell me about it. Wow. The more I say it, the cheesier it sounds. I've only admitted it a couple of times. I like him. I have feelings for Finn. I laugh at little and shake my head.

My laugh turns into a sigh when there's a knock at the door.

"Good morning!" Finn's dressed in dark jeans and a long sleeved burgundy t-shirt. But the thing that makes my mouth go dry isn't the way his shirt clings to his muscles, it's his smile. His perfect white teeth peek out from behind his lazy half smile. I swallow, desperate to get some moisture into my mouth. "Ready to go?" I can only nod.

We make it to school faster than usual due to the fact that Finn was practically skipping the whole way. The initial pain of him not telling me has passed and has turned into irritation. My heart stops when he rushes down the opposite hallway without as much as a goodbye.

After that, the day passes painfully slowly. In English, I catch Marina and Finn making eyes at each other. I can't help but roll my own. What didn't help was that he was supposed to be helping me with our project. I end up doing most of the work by myself while he didn't think I noticed what he was doing.

When the lunch bell rings, I can't get out of the classroom fast enough. He doesn't even notice. I don't know why I expected him too. Marina notices though, as she gives me a triumphant smirk when I look over my shoulder.

I run down the steps to our tree, throw my bag down next to Maddie and sit with my arms crossed, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay, Rye?" asks Jack.

"I'm fine," I grumble, getting out my lunch. I know Maddie will get it out of me eventually or figure it out on her own, but for now, I really don't want to talk about it.

I sit and listen to Jack and Maddie's banter. I smile a couple of times. I'm happy that Maddie is finally happy with someone, I'm just hoping he'll hurry up and ask her out, although, I wouldn't mind a 'stuff your face and watch sad movies because boys suck' sleepover.

Maddie throws a grape at Jack and he catches it in his mouth. Both of them fall about laughing and he kisses her on the cheek, causing her to blush.

"I swear to god, if you two get any cuter I'm going to vomit rainbows," I state. Both of them flush bright red and mumble sorry. "Trade?"

Maddie and I begin to trade our food when a voice calls out.

"Good 'morrow, Faggots!" I smile at the familiarity of his voice. I say hi as he sits down next to me. "Ooh! Froot loops!" He reaches for the packet but Maddie slaps his hand away and snatches the small bag saying, "My froot loops," in a slight Gollum style manner.

"Jesus Christ, okay," says Leo, rubbing his hand slightly. "Oh, Jack, remember the game is next Friday."

Jack nods. "I know. I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself. If I drop the ball, I'll never hear the end of it from my Dad," he says somewhat glumly.

"You're going to be fine, dude. You haven't dropped it in practice once," Leo reassures him.

"No, but I ran so fast to catch that one throw that I couldn't stop and went head first into the bleachers!"

I can't help it. A laugh bubbles in my stomach and makes its way out of my lips. Maddie takes one look at me, tears brimming in her eyes before we're all rolling around with laughter.

"Uh, hey guys," says someone from behind me. We all turn and see Finn standing with an awkward smile, but I can see he's looking at Leo, a little confused. I jump slightly as I feel an arm go around my waist. Leo smiles at him.

"Alright, bro. What's up?"

"Um," he looks at me, then at the ground, then at anyone _but _me. "Is it cool if I sit?"

"Of course it is," says Jack, as if it was the most ridiculous thing Finn could have asked. Which I guess it was. He doesn't know that I know. Or does he? No, no that's ridiculous. Maybe it's just because I stormed out of English.

_And maybe everything isn't about you, _says the voice in my head. I almost laugh it's so true.

"You coming to the game, Finn?"

"Maybe. I'll see if my Dad'll let me," he says with a small shrug.

"Since when has Uncle Finnick not let you go to watch sports? The three of us used to watch the game all the time," I say with a confused look. But he just stares at me, as if the strangest thing just came out of his mouth. "Oh." He doesn't remember it. Of course he doesn't. I still forget that I faded from memory. "Never mind."

"You've got to come, dude. It's the first game of the season. Mad's going to wear my jersey," Jack says, nudging her. She nudges him back and he bumps he shoulder again. Getting fed up, Maddie puts her hand on his face and pushes him over sideways. He sits back up quickly, leaves in his hair, playfully scowling at Maddie.

Finn smiles at our friends. It's such a natural and easy smile. But then his eyes flick over to me, and I see it brighten. For the first time in the past week, after listening to him go on and on about how beautiful Marina is and how perfect she is, he finally gives me the one smile he keeps for me. The one he uses when he laughs when I trip over my own feet. Or if I have flour in my hair. Or when he hears me sing. Then his eyes flit down to Leo's arm and it falters. I almost feel sick at the look on his face. Because it doesn't make any sense.

We hear the bell ring and we all stand up. Leo kisses my cheek in the brotherly way he always does, as he knows I hate it and runs off to class. Jack and Maddie walk off quickly behind him and I can tell what Maddie is doing when she turns around and nods towards Finn.

I sigh, swinging my bag onto my shoulder and we start walking slowly back to the building. I can tell Finn is setting the pace like this because he wants to talk about something. He's always done it. Just another thing I remember about him that he doesn't. He probably doesn't even remember me pointing it out.

"So…" he starts. I refuse to look at him. I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself from blurting everything out. "You and Leo, huh?"

"Yup. Me and Leo."

"When were you going to tell me that you two were a, uh… a thing?" he asks.

"What? Don't you listen to gossip? I'm sure it's already around the whole school by now," I say jokily, although I can hear the nervousness in my voice.

"Of course I heard it around, but I was waiting for you to tell me that it was true. It kind of hurts that you didn't even bother."

I feel like I've hit a brick wall and I stop walking, causing him to turn and look at me.

"It hurts? _It hurts?_" I laugh. "Let's talk about your 'good day' shall we?" I say, putting quote marks around the words, not bothering to keep the venom out of my voice. I can only see red. "When were you going to tell me about you and Marina? When were you going to tell about that, huh?"

"Me and Marina?" Finn asks incredulously. "I have no idea what you're smoking, Rye, but there's nothing going on between-"

"You little shit! You fucking hypocrite! You give me the whole lecture, with your kicked puppy dog face, about how it _hurts _that I didn't tell you that I was in a relationship, and yet you lie to my face about something that you have not stopped talking about for the past week? No, that's fucked up."

"Rye, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"So you really just had a 'good day' yesterday?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe next time you should find a better make out spot then the lockers during free period."

His face goes stark white and he looks at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. My bottom lip starts to quiver and my vision is blurry from the tears that are about to spill over onto my cheeks.

"Riley, I-"

"No!" My voice shakes so badly I can barely get the words out. "Just don't, Finn! Don't try and 'Riley' me now! It's not going to work. You fucking wanker!"

I storm away as fast as I can, the tears now freely streaming down my cheeks with no sign of stopping.

And I leave Finn standing there with his mouth wide open.

* * *

**HELLO!**

**Sorry, it's been so long! I've done so much recently and I've just had no time to write anything! For example, I had to revise for my German speaking exam (which, I actually got an A in, even though I was aiming for a C. If I'm honest, it was quite shit I just think my teacher likes me for some reason idek), I had to learn my lines and perform in a play (which I have now been asked to perform in assembly which means the entire school is going to hear my say the words 'I love big men' (most of my monologue has been cut because it contained so many euphemisms and they didn't want to scare the Year 7s)) and tonight I had to perform in a concert where everyone dressed up in 70s fancy dress. I went for 70s punk, black boots, black jeans, leather jacket and sang David Bowie... it was fun I guess.**

**Ok, please leave me a review and tell me what you think should happen next, all help and ideas are greatly appreciated :) **


	16. Chapter 16

Stupid Finn.

Stupid Finn with his stupid hypocrisy and his stupid face with those stupid pretty eyes and his stupid perfect complection.

Stupid Finn.

After twenty minutes of crying in the bathroom, I make my way to Chemistry… twenty minutes late.

"Miss Mellark, just because you aced the test last week does not mean that you can show up to class whenever you want," says Mr Beetee, with his front facing the board.

"I know, Sir. I'm sorry, I just- wait, I aced the test?" I ask.

He turns to me and smiles, holding out my test paper.

"I heard you in the bathroom," he whispers. Seeing my face, he gives me another soft smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. But if you need someone to talk to, I'm always here." I nod, looking down at the floor, knowing the whole class is watching. How many other people heard me crying? "Don't be late again, otherwise I will have to give you detention," Beetee says a little louder for the class to here. I smile in thanks and he gives me a small wink.

Beetee was a friend of my mother's in school as he had to tutor her before her midterms. He's always kept an eye out for me and this is no exception.

I walk to my seat and realise that Finn has moved. I slump down in my seat and the first thing that catches my eye is Finn, sitting beside Marina. She's rubbing his arm and he's slumped down in his seat, looking considerably miserable. Jerk.

"Now, on yours desks are a series of splints. I would like you to hold each splint in the flame of your Bunsen Burner and note down what colour the flame turns. Then use your textbooks to figure out what chemicals each splint has been soaked in. You will need to work in partners. Begin." The class begins to move when Beetee gets our attention once again. "Don't forget to wear goggles. And try not to set your hair on fire." We all laugh and move again.

Then I realise- "Uh, Sir?" He looks up from his desk. "I don't have a partner."

"I thought Mr Oda-" I move my hand in a 'kill it' motion near my neck before jerking my thumb towards the window seat where Marina and Finn are currently making eyes at each other. He makes an 'O' shape with his mouth. "Well then," he says, buttoning up his lab coat and putting on his glasses before holding out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rodger Beetee, I'm your new lab partner. You are?"

I laugh and take his hand. "Orion Mellark, but you can call me Rye."

* * *

Even after my great Chemistry lesson, I'm still in a pretty crappy mood by the time I reach the bakery. I throw down my bag begin aggressively kneading bread.

"Well, I know why I'm angsty, what's up with you?" sighs Leo as he comes in for his shift.

"Finn. You?"

"Brianne."

We both sigh and I wait for Leo to launch into his rant. It's what always happens.

"Y'know what? You girls? You suck," he groans.

"Hey, what did I ever do?" I say defensively.

"You were born without a penis and with lots of feelings," he wags his finger at me and I slap it away, slightly amused. "Brianne was all hostile during our tutor session and didn't want to talk about anything other than Chem. Usually we end up off topic and laughing about something and its great but today everything just flopped." He sighs again and puts on his apron before going out front. From there, I hear him sigh another 4 times over 10 minutes.

"If you sigh one more time you're going to feint," I yell.

"I'm a man, I don't feint," he yells back.

"Let me rephrase that. I swear to god if you sigh one more time, I'm going to punch you in the face so hard that you get knocked out!" Leo laughs before agreeing completely.

"So, what's wrong with Finn?" Leo asks.

I rolling my eyes, I begin to retell him the entire story, only realising how hard I'm kneading the dough in my hands until Leo takes it away from me with a scared look in his eyes.

"Do you know what's wrong with you guys? You think that because you have a dick, you're all tough and mighty and that everything you say is right all the time. _Newsflash: _If you'd stop thinking that the sun shines out of your arse then maybe girls wouldn't cause you so much trouble," I spit, suddenly more angry than I've been in months. My nostrils are flared and all I can see if red. Red everywhere.

"Rye, you need to calm down. Just breathe. In and out, okay?" I follow his example and begin to take deep breaths. Once I'm calm enough to understand things logically, Leo suggests something. "How about tomorrow, we have lunch just you and me? Give you both time to cool off and you can help me figure out what to do about Brianne not talking to me."

I just nod once and we get back to work.

* * *

For the next couple of days, I leave earlier for school than usual. I would rather not be put in the situation where I have to walk within close proximity of Finn.

I called Maddie when I got home from the bakery that day to explain what I was going to do, so she didn't get offended.

"_So, you're cool with it? I just don't want to start any arguments," I said sheepishly. _

"_No, I understand completely." She goes quiet for a while. "I'm worried about you, Rye."_

_I snorted. "Why are you worried about me? I'm fine!" I put a smile in my voice but Maddie was still quiet. _

"_Just… be careful with this whole thing with Leo. I know you like Finn and I know you're going to get hurt."_

"_Wow, thanks for the support," I replied sarcastically. "Hey, wasn't this your idea in the first place?" _

"_I know, but I'm beginning to think that you were right."_

Shortly after, she hung up, leaving me in another sour mood.

I make my way to Math and sit down next to Brianne, who's doodling in her notebook.

"Hey," I say, after a moment of awkward silence. Usually she's the one to start the conversation. All I get in return is a silent nod. I sigh, agitated for the zillionth time this week and slap my notebook shut, turning to her. "Okay, what's up? What have I done?"

"Nothing," she responds curtly.

"Of course I have. I usually walk into Maths on a Friday morning, slump down in my seat and you'll say 'Hey, Rye. How's is going?' or 'What's up, Rye? Did you have a nice evening last night?' Yet this morning, I get nothing. Nada. Just a nod. Now, I'm pretty fucking sick of being the reason that everyone is in a pissy mood. I'm already dealing with Captain Melodrama from next door and his girlfriend, Princess Bitch-and-a-half, is giving me grief 24/7. You're one of the nicest people I know and I can always count on you to make me smile, but you're acting like you don't want to know me. _What on god's earth have I done this time?_"

Brianna looks at me in shock as I take a deep breath, finishing me rant. The corners of her mouth turn up into a small smile and she lets out a girlish giggle.

"Bree, stop it. It's not funny," I warn, fighting my own smile.

Before I know it, we're both in stitches, laughing until we cry. Once we've caught our breath, Brianne looks at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I'm just in a really bitchy mood this morning."

"May I ask why?"

"A guy."

I groan. "It's probably a full moon. All guys are acting like they have vaginas recently."

Brianne laughs again before sighing. "It's just… I have this _really big_ crush on a guy that I've gotten close to recently and I thought that he liked me too, but then he got a girlfriend. But he never said that he liked her or even implied that he didn't like me. I was just playing hard to get and now…"

She doesn't have to finish. And I feel like complete and utter shit. It's so obvious that she's talking about Leo, and I'm the other girl. This fricking sucks.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I say genuinely.

"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault," she says with a faulty smile.

_Oh but it is._

* * *

"Mum!"

I ran all the way home after seeing Finn leaving the school gates. I couldn't risk him catching up to me, or me following him home. It'd just be weird.

"In the kitchen!"

I enter the room and Annie is peeling some potatoes while my mother stirs some stew. Madge, Maddie's mum, is sat at the table reading a magazine. My father and Gale enter through the back door, talking about the new minivan the Hawthorne's just bought.

"What're you all doing here in our… tiny kitchen?" I ask, curious. I've never seen so many adults gathered in one place since Christmas.

"It's Friday today remember? Friday night dinner tradition," Annie answers with a smile.

My stomach feels like it just dropped to the floor.

The Odair's are coming over for dinner.

That means Finn is too.

Stupid Finn.

* * *

**Hasn't been proof read. Sorry for the late update!**

**R&R please! :') **


	17. Chapter 17

I sit in the living room waiting for the torture to begin. I can't believe I forgot today was Friday. With all the avoiding Finn I've been doing at school I just end up trapped in a room with him. Urgh, it's just my luck.

Everyday this week, Leo and I have sat on our own lunch table discussing tactics of ways he could get Brianne to talk to him again.

"_It's so frustrating. I keep trying but she just keeps slipping further away," groaned Leo. _

_I rolled my eyes. "Did you ever give any thought that maybe she doesn't want to talk to you because you're in a relationship and she likes you?" He looked up at me, his eye tired and upset. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. "I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea." _

"_You still not talking to Finn, huh?" _

"_Well, even if this"-I gestured between the two of us-"wasn't going on, I still wouldn't be talking to him. He lied to me and it hurt my feelings. It was just what he said that caused my explosion." Leo nods and sighs, his shoulders slumping down._

Someone sits down on the opposite sofa but I continue looking at my hands.

"Hey, Riley."

I don't look up, but I have to concentrate on keeping my fists from clenching. My natural scowl grows stronger.

"Still not talking to me?"

I turn my head away. I hear him sigh. He's probably running his hands through his hair, like he always does when he's stressed. It almost makes me feel bad and want to comfort him. _Almost._

"Riley, I'm sor-"

I stand up and walk out of the room. I know I want to hear him apologise, but he doesn't deserve my forgiveness. Not yet. He needs to earn it.

I enter my room, deciding to complete the English essay for mine and Finn's project, until dinner. When I'm finished, I write a to-do list for Finn, so we can finish the project with as little interaction as possible.

"Dinner, Rye!"

I walk down the stairs, enter the dining room and sit down in the only free seat available: opposite Finn.

"How come Maddie isn't here?" I ask Gale, his nostrils flare and Madge giggles.

"She's on a date, much to her Father's dismay," smirks Madge. He scowls down at his plate.

"Don't worry, Mr Hawthorne. Jack is my best friend and he would do anything for Maddie," says Finn. "Right, Riley?"

I ignore him and look at Gale. "Jack's a really great guy. He respects her more than anyone. He's actually kind of smitten," I try to reassure him, and he smiles, but still looks unconvinced.

Finn sighs and starts to eat. I do the same and we sit in silence while the adults talk. All of them are now curious as to why we're not talking, as usually we're the ones making the most noise.

"So, Finn, Rye, how's school?" asks Mum.

"Fine," I reply shortly, shoving some potato into my mouth.

"Rye and I have to perform a piece of Shakespeare in English class in a couple of weeks," says Finn, trying to get me to respond. I raise my eyebrows in acknowledgement and he slams his knife and fork down on the table, everyone going quiet almost immediately.

"Rye, can you come outside with me for a second?" he asks politely, his eyes flashing with anger. He doesn't wait for an answer, he just stands up and walks out the back door into the garden. I sigh, rolling my eyes and follow him out. Everyone's eyes watching me.

When I get outside I close the door behind me and fold my arms, waiting for Finn to say something. We stand in silence for a while, both of us waiting for the other. He lets out a growl.

"Damn it, Rye, when are you going to talk to me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of the bullshit," I say sarcastically.

"This isn't a joke Rye," he says sternly.

"Does your ass get jealous of your mouth? An awful lot of shit does come out of it," I joke again, just to push his buttons. He lets out another growl and grabs my shoulders.

"I said I was sorry! When are you going to talk to me?"

"When you realise that what you did can't just be fixed by saying sorry!" I roughly push his arms off of me and glare at him. Both our voices have raised and I can't hear any chatter from indoors. They're undoubtedly listening in, but I'm so mad I can't seem to care. "You lied to me, Finn! You lied to me and then made me feel like a fucking jerk when I hadn't told you something that happened the evening before. That's bollocks!"

"I didn't tell you what happened because I didn't know how you'd react!" he shouts. "Obviously, badly."

I laugh sarcastically. "Y'know what? Why don't you go to Marina and cry about it, huh?" I turn to storm away but he grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Don't bring her into this now," he hisses.

"Isn't this all about her?" I ask, innocently. "I spent a whole fucking week listening to you talk about how perfect she is and how beautiful she is. And you have the audacity to say 'you didn't know how I'd react' as the reason you didn't tell me? Bull_shit_. I faked a smile all the way through those conversations. You should have been thinking that I'd be okay with it."

"Why were you faking smiles? Why aren't you okay with it? Eh?" Finn looks me in the eyes and I falter. I can't tell him.

"Because you deserve so much better than her," I whisper. He can't know, but he can still know how I feel, at least a little. It's now I realise how close we are. "You deserve the world, Finn, and she can't give it to you."

"Then who can?" he breathes. I shiver lightly and drop my eyes to the floor.

"Finn-" I start, but he shushes me.

"Riley, not talking to you kills me. I don't want to lose you over something like this," he tells me quietly. He lifts my chin so I'm looking at him. We look at each other for what seems like forever, but then his eyes flick down to my lips. We've both been leaning in and we're centimetres apart now. I want to say something. Remind him we're both in relationships, however fake mine is. I want to stop this. But I don't want to.

Our lips just brush when Finn pulls away, looking ashamed. My stomach plummets to the floor as he turns away.

"I'm sorry, Rye. I'm so sorry, but-"

"Marina, I get it," I say.

"And Leo." I nod, feeling like laughing over the fact Leo would actually be overjoyed over what was going to happen. Instead I wrap my arms around Finn and bury my face in his neck. I feel him squeeze me back and, as much as I don't want to let go, I do. I turn away and walk back into the house, holding back tears.

I don't know how much longer I can do this. I can't keep on pretending like my feelings for Finn don't surface every time I see his smile, or his frown, or his voice, or tired eyes at three in the morning when he can't sleep, or lazy grin whenever he catches me staring. But he's with Marina. And as much as it breaks my heart, it breaks it more to keep doing what I've been doing this past week.

As I walk back into the dining room, all the adults still sit at the table watching me. I gulp and smile slightly. "Thanks for dinner; I'm not really hungry anymore." I slide past them and run upstairs. I close the door and slide down against it, willing myself to not cry over Finn any more than I already have.


End file.
